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[Article] Unions push anti-discrimination rights for gay workers

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  • 15-09-2004 9:32am
    #1
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,990 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Saw this in today's Indo:
    UNION chiefs have begun a campaign on behalf of thousands of gay workers who are discriminated against by supervisors or employers.

    According to the unions, there is little protection against discrimination in the workplace for workers. Gay people, in particular, often suffer at the hands of colleagues and fellow workers, with managers failing to protect their rights.

    Equality Authority chief Niall Crowley yesterday told the ICTU Conference on Gay and Lesbian Rights that his agency handled 14 cases of alleged employment discrimination and 23 potential breaches of the Equal Status Act under sexual orientation grounds.

    Mandate's Mattie O'Callaghan told the conference that "many national employers do not know much about gay issues, and union negotiators need to know what is the best position and ensure that shop stewards are trained about rights and issues".

    Among the areas in which gay people and their partners can suffer discrimination is at job interviews and pension entitlements for long-term partners.

    The ICTU has been seeking anti-discrimination protection for lesbian and gay employees for more than 20 years. Progress has been made with the amendments to the equality legislation negotiated through the social partnership pay deals.

    Unions estimate that up to 200,000 workers and managers are gay, based on 10pc of the workforce. Yesterday's ICTU session was also told that the new Equality Act 2004 falls short of the requirements of EU equality directives.
    Nice to see it being tackled, although the bias against long-term partners is one I doubt employers along without proper legislature forcing them to. Although I've never suffered this discrimination, I know of people who have and, as recent threads on this board itself have shown, there seems to still be a need to try and get people to adjust to those who don't fit into their perceptions of how men/women should look/act/sound.


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