Equality Committee
Current Equality News
The Equality Committee will
meet on Saturday 14th January 2012.
The ESRI recently published a study entitled “Households and Family Structures
in Ireland”. The study describes the family circumstances of couples, parents
and children resident in Ireland, based on micro-data from the 2006 Census. See http://www.esri.ie/publications/latest_publications/view/index.xml?id=3389 for
further details.
The recently published data on people with disabilities working in the public
service, published by the National Disability Authority (NDA) shows thatthe
proportion of staff with disabilities reported across the public service as a
whole showed a slight decrease, from 2.9% in 2009 to 2.7% in 2010, thus falling
short of the 3% target. This broke the pattern of annual incremental increases
that had been achieved since the target became a statutory obligation on 31
December 2005. This decrease occurred against a backdrop of a fall in the total
number of employees in the public bodies reporting under the Act from 219,653 in
2009 to 210,267 in 2010. See www.nda.ie for
further details.
The NDA has also published a guide for employers on retaining people who
acquire a disability in employment. Among the measures recommended include clear
written policies on implementing early intervention, staying in touch, return to
work assessment and planning, reasonable accommodation and option for phased
return. See www.nda.ie for
further details.
The ICTU Women’s Conference will take place on 1st and 2nd March 2012 in the
Waterfront Hall in Belfast. INTO will be represented by nominees of Districts
2,4, 6,8,10,12,14 and 16. See www.ictu.ie for
further details.
Equality Conference 2013
The Committee has decided to hold an Equality Conference in March 2013. Among the themes being considered is mental health and teaching. At the meeting, the Committee also launched a revised Equality section on the INTO Website www.into.ie/ROI/Equality. The revised section includes current equality issues, resources and a history of the Equality Committee.
The Committee also finalized a submission to the Task Force
on the Role of the CEC, making suggestions as to how participation of
under-represented groups (including young people, women and those with caring
responsibilities) could be improved on the CEC.
Coming Out in the Workplace
A new study reveals the factors that influence whether or not LGB workers
disclose their sexual orientation at work. Those factors include the
organisation’s policies and procedures and the level of support from co-workers.
The survey also found that 62% of LGB workers (across all sectors) were out at
work. For further details see
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/1115/1224307574681.html
Workplace Equality in the Recession
An Equality Authority/ ESRI study has found that having a formal equality policy
impacts positively on employee’s perceptions of workplace fairness and on
workers’ well-being. The study also found that flexible working arrangements are
associated with positive organizational outcomes, such as higher job
satisfaction. See www.equality.ie for further details of the study.
INTO LGB Group AGM
The annual general meeting of the INTO LGB Group was held in Dublin on 18th
November. (further details to follow)
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