London [U.K.], Oct 11 (ANI): The United Kingdom has announced the new Race at Work Charter which is signed by high-profile businesses leading the way on increasing ethnic minority representation in the workplace.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday launched a series of measures to tackle the ethnic disparities at the workplace, stated a press release from the UK government.

"Developed jointly by the government and Business in the Community (BITC), the new Race at Work Charter announced by the Prime Minister today will commit businesses to a bold set of principles and actions designed to drive forward a step-change in the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees," the press release read.

Talking about the Race at Work Charter, Theresa May said, "One year on from publishing the Race Disparity Audit, the government is delivering on its promise to explain or change ethnic disparities in all areas of society, taking action to support young people into work with funding of £90 million from dormant bank accounts, and acting on the recommendations of the Lammy review including by increasing diversity within prison officer recruitment."

The government has named WPP UK Country Manager and Chairwoman of MediaCom UK & Ireland Karen Blackett OBE as its Race at Work Champion.

Blackett said, "As the Government's Race at Work Champion, I'm committed to helping businesses address inequality at all levels by taking practical steps such as introducing apprenticeships, offering mentorships and capturing ethnicity data to create a more inclusive and representative workforce."

The government has also roped in NHS England, Standard Life Aberdeen, Norton Rose Fulbright, Saatchi and Saatchi, KPMG, RBS, the Civil Service and the world leader in communications services, WPP as the signatories to the Charter.

May, will also launch a consultation on ethnicity pay reporting in response to the Race Disparity Audit's Ethnicity facts and figures website data on Thursday along with the Race at Work Charter.

"In the first consultation of its kind, the government will invite employers to share their views on a mandatory approach to ethnicity pay reporting, since the number of organisations publishing information on the pay gap for people from different ethnic backgrounds voluntarily remains low. The consultation, open until January 2019, will set out in detail what information employers should publish to allow for decisive action to be taken while also asking employers how ethnicity data can be collected without placing undue burdens on businesses," read the press release. (ANI)

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