Business groups have taken the unusual step of joining forces to ask for the consultation period to be extended to give nervous employers longer to consider the implications.
Ignoring that request belittles their legitimate concerns about powerful legislation which is far-reaching and requires close examination.
The committee insists that 12 weeks has been long enough. It wants to press on as it fears that it will run out of time to get the policy letter through the States before the June election.
Their argument is flawed. Firstly, the summer holidays are never a good time to go out to consultation. That is especially true in this case where a CEO might need their HR team, lawyer and senior managers to give considered input.
Secondly, the June 2020 deadline is entirely artificial. The States should not rush through major legislation just because it suits a few deputies who may or may not seek re-election. If they wanted it through in this term the committee should have opened the consultation earlier.
Despite the myth-busting efforts of supporters, this is a complicated set of proposals for those not immersed in discrimination law. For that reason, the questionnaire was split into three sections, each taking 30 minutes. Consultations rarely need anywhere near that long to complete.
If Employment & Social Security does insist on pressing ahead without soothing the nerves of the business community it can expect resistance at all stages. Deputies will be lobbied and objections laid.
That some of this concern, perhaps most, could be dealt with by a less pressured schedule and that it puts the whole law at risk should be obvious to all.
The danger for passionate advocates of the new legislation, including the Guernsey Disability Alliance, is that they will fail to carry island businesses along with them.
In the long-term, the adoption of new laws – the basic anti-discrimination premise of which few would object to – will be much easier if it is a collaborative process, not one imposed in a rush.
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