We were interested to hear that following a campaign, on the Balearic Islands to combat discrimination within the workplace, it was uncovered that the Spanish Airline, Iberia, had been requiring female candidates to undertake a pregnancy test in order to “guarantee that (pregnant women) did not face any risks.” Randstad, a recruitment company, had been requesting applicants to undergo a pregnancy test as part of their application and subsequent medical checks.
As a result of the fine Iberia Airlines has said it will now stop requiring female job candidates to take a pregnancy test, however, they did insist that requiring a pregnancy test is commonplace in Spain and although this was practiced a number of pregnant candidates had been employed with them.
This is a timely reminder that any such questions during the recruitment process (or indeed during employment) would fall foul of the Equality Act 2010 and the protection afforded to pregnant employees.
If you require advice on your Equality and Diversity practices, please contact one of our employment team members via the office.
ami@travlaw.co.uk or luke@travlaw.co.uk
This article was originally published on: 26 July 2017
