Don't put up with it! Jargon buster

Jargon	What it means for discrimination
Claim	A case taken to a court.
Conciliation	Where people on different sides of a dispute use an independent professional (called a ‘conciliator’) to help them find a solution they’re all happy with.
County court (in Scotland, sheriff court)	The court to which you bring discrimination claims against shops and service providers.
Court order	An official decision by a court. In certain circumstances, courts can force someone to obey a court order by threatening them with fines, or even imprisonment.
Direct discrimination	Where someone treats you worse than they treat other people because of who you are.
Employment tribunal	A type of court dealing with employment law problems. In Northern Ireland, these are industrial tribunals or the fair employment tribunal.
Grievance	A concern, problem or complaint you have about your work.
Harassment	Someone saying or doing things because of who you are that you find offensive, humiliating, frightening or distressing.
Human rights	Basic rights which every human being should be able to enjoy, such as the right to life and the right to a fair trial.
Indirect discrimination	Where someone has a rule or a way of doing things that they apply to everyone, but which puts you, and other people like you, at more of a disadvantage and cannot be justified.
Injunction (in Scotland, interdict)	A court order forbidding someone from behaving in a certain way, such as coming within a certain distance of someone or their home.
Mediation	Mediation is where people on different sides of a dispute use an independent professional (called a ‘mediator’) to help them try and find a solution they’re both happy with.
Raising a grievance	Making a formal complaint to your employer about a problem you have at work.
Terms and conditions of employment	A written statement of your rights and obligations at work.
Victimisation	Where someone treats you less favourably for complaining about being discriminated against or helping someone else to complain about being discriminated against.

The blurb

The law is detailed and complicated. To stop your brain from aching, we’ve simplified things as much as possible so you can get a basic idea of how the law deals with discrimination. But this means we’ve had to miss bits out – bits that are likely to affect what the law would say about your own situation. So please don’t rely on any of the examples used in this guide. Instead, before you take any action, get advice from a CAB, law centre or independent advice agency. If you need help working out who to speak to, go to: Where to get help