EMPLOYMENT LAW

To establish objective justification in a case of alleged indirect discrimination, the question is whether or not the means to achieve the objective are proportionate to that objective. It is not whether the actions of the employer are otherwise lawful or achieved in a morally acceptable way.

 The concept of “proportionate means” is not focusing upon whether the employer has or has not conducted itself appropriately. The issue is whether or not the difference in treatment can be justified as a proportional response to a legitimate objective (per Mr Justice Elias at para 83).

The fact that the objective might be achieved by using unlawful, even dishonest, practices does not necessarily mean that the means are disproportionate once it is accepted that the aim itself is legitimate (ibid, para 89; Michael Rubenstein, in the IRLR editorial, questions the correctness of this decision in light of EU law).