Firms were today urged to review their employment policies because of new legislation protecting lesbian, gay and bisexual workers from discrimination.

New regulations on sexual orientation and religion come into force this week, giving workers rights against bullying or exclusion from employee benefits, training and promotion.

The TUC said the new rights were a "massive leap".

But the union organisation is continuing a judicial review on a number of exemptions from the new law, including one it says will deny same-sex partners of employees the right to benefits given to married partners of staff.

Monday December 01, 2003