This special issue of Equal Opportunities International was motivated by the 56th annual conference of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA) held at National University of Ireland, Galway in June 2006. The Association has for a number of years included a stream dedicated to equality and diversity at work. In 2006 the stream ‘Equality and Inequality in Work and Employment’ attracted 15 papers, second only in popularity to the traditional favourite of trade unions and employee representation. The popularity of the stream, and the 2006 conference in general, may have been related to location of the conference in beautiful Galway and the renowned hospitality of the Irish. However, notwithstanding these aesthetic motivations, the growth of equality as a topic of importance within the study of industrial relations reflects a number of social and structural shifts in relation to work since BUIRA was founded in 1950.