Fact
File 
The
Equality Authority - (An tÚdarás Comhionannais) - Ireland-
Press Releases
New
Report Highlights Business Case for Equality and Diversity
Press Release - 02 July 2007
A
new report launched today finds that investment by organisations
in initiatives that promote workplace equality and foster
diversity has substantial benefits for both employees and
employers.
The
report - entitled The Business Impact of Equality and
Diversity - The International Evidence - was commissioned
jointly by the Equality Authority and the National Centre
for Partnership and Performance. It was compiled by Professor
Kathy Monks of the Learning, Innovation and Knowledge Research
Centre at Dublin City University Business School.
The
report reviews a wide range of research evidence on the
relationship between equality and diversity on one hand,
and organisational performance on the other. The report
concludes that:
-
There
is a positive relationship between the existence of equality
policies and employee outcomes including, commitment,
job satisfaction, life satisfaction, work-life balance
and reduced stress;
-
There
are positive employee-performance outcomes arising from
the implementation of equality and diversity initiatives,
such as reductions in absenteeism and staff turnover,
improved employee relations and workplace innovation and
creativity, and
-
Organisations
perceive performance outcomes from investment in equality
and diversity initiatives in four inter-related areas:
-
Human
capital benefits, such as the ability to resolve labour
shortages and recruit and retain high-calibre staff;
-
Increased
market opportunities, with access to more diverse markets;
-
Enhancement
of organisational reputation to suppliers, customers and
prospective and existing employees, and
-
Changes
to organisational culture, such as improved working relations
and reductions in litigation.
Speaking
at today's launch, Lucy Fallon-Byrne, Director, National
Centre for Partnership and Performance, commented: "Equality
and diversity are key priorities of both the National Workplace
Strategy and Towards 2016. Transforming Irish workplaces into
Workplaces of the Future is all about fostering greater levels
of innovation and creativity, and this report suggests very
strongly that positive equality and diversity policies are
a major contributor to higher levels of workplace innovation."
Niall
Crowley, CEO of the Equality Authority,
said: "It is clear from this report that diversity in the
workforce across all the grounds covered by our equality legislation
holds significant potential for business success. A planned
and systematic approach to equality and diversity in the workplace
is required if this potential is to be realised. Such an approach
must focus on eliminating any form of discrimination, on making
adjustments to take account of the practical implication of
diversity and on proactively seeking to achieve full equality
in practice for the diversity of employees in the workplace."
The
Equality Authority was established by statute in 1999 to promote
equality of opportunity and to combat discrimination in the
areas covered by the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal
Status Acts. Visit www.equality.ie
for further information. The National Centre for Partnership
and Performance (NCPP) was established by Government in 2001
to promote partnership-led innovation and change in Irish
workplaces. It was placed on a statutory footing in January
2007 as part of the new National Economic and Social Development
Offices (NESDO). Visit www.ncpp.ie
for further information.
__________________________________________________
Disability
Issues Predominant in Equality Authority Casefiles - Equality
Authority Press Release - 19 Jun 2007
The
Equality Authority today launched its Annual Report 2006.
During 2006 the Equality Authority had 853 casefiles under
the Employment Equality Acts (404), the Equal Status Acts
(366), and the Intoxicating Liquor Act (83). It dealt with
10,585 queries under five different Acts - Employment Equality
Acts (2933), Equal Status Acts (1560), Maternity Protection
Acts (3716), Parental Leave Act (2195) and Adoptive Leave
Act (181).
Speaking
at the launch Niall Crowley, CEO of the Equality Authority
highlighted that "Allegations of discrimination on the
disability ground make up the largest group of Equality Authority
casefiles under the Employment Equality Acts, the Equal Status
Acts and the Intoxicating Liquor Act - accounting for 23%
(197/853) of all our casefiles. This reflects the significant
barriers faced by people with disabilities in seeking to participate
in Irish society. The casefiles relate predominantly to failure
by employers and service providers to make necessary adjustments
for people with disabilities. The core issues raised in the
casefiles are allegations of discrimination in working conditions,
dismissal and access to employment and allegation of discrimination
in access to education and to public sector services".
The
patterns evident in the casefiles of the Equality Authority
include:-
- The
race ground continues to be the highest area in the Equality
Authority casefiles under the Employment Equality Acts
(103 casefiles) reflecting ongoing difficult experiences
for migrant workers.
- The
Traveller ground is the second highest area in the Equality
Authority casefiles under the Equal Status Acts (88 casefiles)
after the disability ground reflecting a widespread discrimination
experienced by the Traveller community.
- The
gender ground is the second highest area in the Equality
Authority casefiles under the Employment Equality Acts
(83 casefiles) reflecting a persistence to gender inequality
in the workplace despite thirty years of gender equality
legislation.
- Allegations
of discrimination by Government departments, Local Authorities
and State Agencies predominate, accounting for 40% of
Equality Authority casefiles under the Equal Status Acts
and for 23% of those under the Employment Equality Acts.
- Access
to education (57 casefiles), access to accommodation (41
casefiles), access to insurance (17 casefiles) and access
to banking and financial services (15 casefiles) are the
main issues raised under the Equal Status Acts after public
sector services.
- Working
conditions (127 casefiles) access to employment (86 casefiles)
dismissal (62 casefiles) and harassment and sexual harassment
(31 casefiles) are the main workplace issues raised under
the Employment Equality Acts.
- Casefiles
under the Intoxicating Liquor Act (83 casefiles) have
risen by 336% since 2005.
Niall
Crowley stated that "a major cause of concern continues
to be delays in the Equality Tribunal. Delays of three years
are not uncommon. This means that remedies are not effective,
simple and swift and mechanisms for enforcement are limiting
the capacity to create a culture of compliance with the equality
legislation".
The
Equality Authority reported on significant casework successes
during the past year. These included:
- A
landmark decision of the Equality Tribunal that the Department
of Education and Science had discriminated against two
leaving certificate students with dyslexia by annotating
their leaving certificates - a case which is now under
appeal.
- The
Government decision, in settlement of a claim under the
Equal Status Acts on the sexual orientation ground to
pay adult dependent allowance in respect of the same sex
partners of a terminally ill gay man.
- The
first case of indirect discrimination on the religion
ground where the Equality Tribunal found that Western
Union had indirectly discriminated against a Muslim man
when they refused to release money sent through their
services.
- The
first District Court finding of discrimination on the
sexual orientation ground under the Intoxicating Liquor
Act.
Niall
Crowley stated that "the Equality Authority has sought
to further respond to the patterns of discrimination in our
casefiles through initiatives to embed a focus on equality
within organisational policies, procedures and practices and
to promote a focus on equality as part of our cultural value
base".
Significant
initiatives taken to embed equality within organisations included:
- Supporting
133 companies to put in place equality policies and equality
and diversity training for staff
- Supporting
7 companies to conduct large scale employment equality reviews
and action plans.
Significant
initiatives taken to promote a focus on equality as part of
a societal value base included:
- Three
public awareness campaigns, one on worklife balance, another
on the issue of ageism and another on anti- racist workplaces.
- A
school based awareness campaign to combat homophobic bullying.
Niall
Crowley, speaking at the launch of the Annual Report said
that "resources and access to adequate resources are a
key issue in further developing and implementing the full
range of powers available to the Equality Authority. In this
regard we look forward to the implementation of the commitments
in the Towards 2016 National Agreement to review expenditure
on the equality infrastructure provided by the equality legislation".
Another
problem raised by the Equality Authority in the Annual Report
was the ongoing failure to transpose the full range of powers
and functions of the Equality Authority under the Intoxicating
Liquor Act - in particular to enable the Equality Authority
to provide information on the anti-discrimination provisions
of the Act and to prepare codes of practice with regard to
access to licensed premises.
The
Equality Authority was established by statute in 1999 to promote
equality of opportunity and to combat discrimination in the
areas covered by the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal
Status Acts. Visit www.equality.ie
for further information.
Please
note, all details on any of Press Releases displayed on this
site are provided by Companies, organisations, Government
departments and media and jml Training and Consultancy does
not take any responsibilty for their content or accuracy
__________________________________________________
Please
see also
Taoiseach
Opens EU Equality Year for Ireland - Equality Authority Press
Release - 05 Feb 2007
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