Equality Ireland 2018

2018

FAIRNESS AND INCLUSION FOR ALL

58

Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to Dance.

VERNA MYERS

1

3-4

Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail

5-6

Network Ireland

7-8

Legislation Overview

9-12

Matheson

13

Grant Thornton

14

National Immigration Support Centre

15-16

Tesco

17

Bus Éireann

17

Bank Of Ireland

18

Employability Service

19-20

Working With A Disabiliy

21-24

National Women’s Council Of Ireland

25-26

Investors In Diversity

27-28

Tulsa

29

Dublin City Council

29

Brown Brothers Harriman

30

Waterford City & County Council

30

Public Appointments Service

30

Business In The Community Ireland

31-32

Contents

Irish Centre For Diversity

33-36

How Diverse Is Ireland?

37-38

Inclusion Ireland

39-40

Chambers Ireland

41

Irish Blood Transfusion Service

41

NUI Galway

42

Beaumont Hospital

43-44

DIT - Dublin Institute Of Technology

45-46

Careers Portal

47-48

Pavee Point

49-50

One Parent Families

51-52

ICTU

53-54

New Communities Partnership

55

Useful Contacts

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IRISH CENTRE FOR DIVERSITY About us

The aim of The Irish Centre for Diversity is to work in partnership with organisations across Ireland to help

them embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all they do. Our goal is to positively influence beliefs, attitudes,

behaviour and conduct towards issues surrounding Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement (FREDIE).

Irish Centre for Diversity Definitions

“Diversity is based on a positive attitude to differences, which recognises that everyone is different and these differences should be respected and encouraged. We are all different therefore diversity includes us all”

Equality - where every person has equal rights and equal opportunities.

Equity - where every person has a fair chance – it’s an approach where there is recognition that different people have different starting points.

Inclusion - where every person feels appropriately

respected, appropriately valued and that they fit in with organisational culture.

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“We are all different therefore diversity includes us all”

Welcome to the Equality Ireland Directory 2018 produced by the Irish Centre for Diversity.

In the workplace every person is different, important

and valuable. It is the value that each person adds to the workplace which is critical to success. The old practice of

adopting a blanket approach where “we treat everyone the same” is actually counter-productive and is not conducive to maximizing the value that individuals are able to add to organizations.

Recognizing and effectively managing people’s different skills, abilities, experiences, perspectives, backgrounds,

needs, issues, barriers, family and personal circumstances is critical in getting the best out of people.

The aim of this directory is to highlight employment opportunities and services available to the diverse communities of Ireland. We hope you find it a useful

resource and would greatly appreciate any feedback or suggestions for future editions.

Caroline Tyler

Director – Irish Centre for Diversity

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Iarnród Éireann is a Semi-State Transport Company and operates services nationally. These services include Intercity, DART and Commuter train services.

One of the very important aspects of a successful organisation is its capability to include and deploy a variety of talent and competencies, in an effective manner towards the achievement of organisational goals.

Just as this statement is true about talent and competencies it is also true that diversity enriches the organisation and assists in achieving the organisation goals internally and externally.

Diversity for Iarnród Éireann consists of an array of abilities, perspectives and energies and builds a culture which ensures we recognise the talents 5

of our colleagues and the needs of our customers.

At work we seek to sustain an inclusive working environment that recognises the diversity of employees. In our service provision, we seek to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction and a sense of comfort for the diversity of our customers.

Iarnród Éireann holds the belief that supporting diversity is not only ethical but also good business sense. Our goal is to continue to support an inclusive transport environment for our staff and customers, to ensure the diversity of our employees, customers and the wider community is valued. By bringing people together in true partnership we aim to create a vibrant, healthy and thriving organisation.

Olivia Harte Apprentice Electrician In 2014 applicants were invited to apply for apprenticeships in one of the following disciplines: diesel mechanics, fitters, electricians and welders.

The Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann said “bringing new people into the organisation is its lifeblood and is essential for the future of the railway”. Part of the selection process employed by the organisation includes a rigorous aptitude test and these tests along with other recruitment processes set the bar high to ensure that the company selects the right people for the position available. In the recruitment of electricians, the company had 13 vacancies and it was for one of these positons that Olivia applied and was successful in becoming the first female electrician in Iarnród Éireann since 2002.

Olivia had worked in a bank for several years before travelling to Australia where she worked on construction sites. When asked the duties she was required to carry out Olivia said she carried out general work duties. She continued by saying the duties involved “final finishing to bathrooms and kitchens. We were building these apartment complexes. We were also doing some pipe lagging and waterproofing and just general things like that. I really enjoyed it and just enjoyed that kind of work”.

Iarnród Éireann in 2014, Olivia has worked and gained experience in many of the company’s depots across the rail network. Olivia has worked in Inchicore, Drogheda and is currently working in Portlaoise. “In Inchicore depot, I work in the works maintenance department where we maintain machinery and resolve any kind of electrical faults that might occur.

In Drogheda I worked in the electronic control repair facility. That’s basically fault finding and fixing any systems on the train for example CCTV recorders or driver display units. Basically it’s checking for faults on the circuit boards and repairing what we can on site.”

Finally we asked Olivia in what can be considered to be a male dominated environment, what would she say to other women who may be contemplating an apprenticeship. She replied “I’d highly recommend it!

I am learning so much, even if it is a male dominated environment, it’s no problem. If anything, everybody is so helpful and I’ve had no problems, so I would highly recommend any female who want to do a trade or if it’s been on their mind, to definitely apply.”

She worked abroad for a number of years and it was this experience that led her, on her return to Ireland, to apply for the apprenticeship in Iarnród Éireann.

Olivia believes that this experience of construction work made her realise that she wanted to work with her hands. The apprenticeship in Iarnród Éireann allowed her to achieve this ambition while also gaining a qualification as an electrician.

The apprentice programme covers a broad and comprehensive training programme. Since joining 6

NETWORK IRELAND Network Ireland is Ireland’s longest established nationwide organisation for professional women. We are a Progressive, dynamic not-forprofit membership organisation for professional women.

Our vision is to provide a meaningful, dynamic and engaging platform that drives the personal and professional development of women. We engage with our members through many different platforms.

• Ireland’s Longest Established Business Women’s Organisation founded in 1983 • Over 700 firms represented nationally • Nearly 1,000 Members • Nationwide reach consisting of 12 Regional Branches and 2 information offices • Ireland’s fastest growing women’s networking organisation (6 new branches in 2017)

• Organising over 200 Events Regionally & Nationally • High Profile Regional & National Business Awards • Partnering with government, private and non-profit sectors • Reaching out to new territories through Enterprise Ireland partnered “Fuelling Ambition” Roadshows & other co-branded events • Digital Marketing with a reach of over 40,000 professional women • Extensive National & Regional PR Campaign worth €1.7 million with a reach of over 22 million annually

Our membership is made up of a very diverse group of women, from budding entrepreneurs, SME owners, professionals and leaders in indigenous and multinational organisations, non profits, charity groups, arts and the public sector.

• Our members are leaders in their communities • They are the key decision makers in their businesses and homes • They are key influencers in their personal and professional networks • They are role models • They are collaborative, open and forward thinking • They are dynamic and ambitious • They are supportive and want to see others succeed • Collectively they employ over 5,000 people • Collectively they generate over 500 million in revenue each year • 65% Business Owners, 35% Leaders in Corporate, State or other SMEs

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We have a strong voice and are interested in promoting diversity and equality, entrepreneurship and leadership development; collaborating with like-minded people and organisations. Our Aims and Objectives include: • Providing a forum where professional women can exchange ideas and increase business contacts • Encouraging women to achieve more satisfying careers • Marketing the skills and expertise of Network members • Promoting women as worthy contributors to the Irish economy and decision-making bodies • Liaising with National and International Organisations • Creating Links into Government and State Bodies • Promoting a high standard of ethics in business • Promoting the welfare of the community through the joint effort of members.

As a voluntary organisation all committee members, nationally and at branch level, give freely of their time to coordinate and manage events, speakers, and our flagship national events. The funding needed to run the best possible events for our members is achieved through membership fees and financial partnerships with public and private bodies. Network Ireland provides a forum in which new and established business women can develop professional and personal contacts to ensure that their contribution and influence is recognised as a vital force in business and in society.

Network Ireland is unique in the fact that it offers support, mentoring and confidence building for women, in particular those starting in business or returning to the workplace. Members can develop and pool their individual skills through interaction and collaboration with other women in a supportive environment which offers training, mentoring and an opportunity to tap into the skills and specialist expertise of other members.

WWW.NETWORKIRELAND.IE

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LEGISLATION OVERVIEW Equality in the workplace

The Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015 outlaw discrimination in a wide range of employment and employment related

areas. These include recruitment and promotion; equal pay; working conditions; training or experience; dismissal and harassment including sexual harassment.

The legislation defines discrimination as treating one person in a less favourable way than another person based on any of the following 9 grounds: Gender

Religion

this means man, woman or transsexual

means religious belief, background, outlook or none

Civil status

Age

includes single, married, separated, divorced, widowed people, civil partners and former civil partners

this does not apply to a person aged under 16

Family status

includes people with physical, intellectual, learning, cognitive or emotional disabilities and a range of medical conditions

this refers to the parent of a person under 18 years or the resident primary carer or parent of a person with a disability

Sexual orientation includes gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual

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Disability

Race includes race, skin colour, nationality or ethnic origin

Membership of the Traveller community

What is discrimination?

Discrimination is defined as less favourable treatment.

Indirect discrimination occurs when practices or policies

are treated less favourably than another is, has been

more than another actually have a discriminatory impact.

of the 9 grounds. To establish direct discrimination, a

non-discriminatory adversely affects a particular group

An employee is said to be discriminated against if they

that do not appear to discriminate against one group

or would be treated in a comparable situation on any

It can also happen where a requirement that may appear

direct comparison must be made. For example, in the

or class of persons.

case of disability discrimination, the comparison must be

between a person who has a disability and another who has not, or between persons with different disabilities.

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Specific situations covered by employment equality legislation Disability Employers are obliged to make reasonable accommodations for staff with disabilities.

This includes providing access to employment, enabling people with disabilities to participate in employment including promotion and training.

Pregnancy Pregnancy-related discrimination is discrimination on the ground of gender and includes recruitment, promotion and general conditions of employment. Women who are pregnant or have recently given birth are also protected under maternity protection and unfair dismissals legislation.

Equal pay Employment equality legislation provides for equal pay for like work. Like work is defined as work that is the same, similar or work of equal value. It is one of the terms that must be part of the contract of employment as a result of laws passed by the Dรกil. A claim for equal pay can be made on any of the 9 grounds listed above

Harassment including sexual harassment that is based on any of the 9 grounds is a form of discrimination in relation to conditions of employment. Bullying at work which is

linked to one of the 9 discriminatory grounds above comes under employment equality legislation.

Victimisation Under employment equality legisation you are protected against victimisation if you

bring a claim or are involved in a complaint of unlawful discrimination against your

employer. This means that your employer may not penalise you by dismissal, unfair treatment or an unfavourable change in your conditions of employment.

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Enforcing your rights

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Workplace Relations Commission are separate organisations that work to ensure equality at work.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is a statutory body set up to

provide information to the public on human rights and equality legislation. It can, at its discretion, provide legal assistance to people who wish to bring claims to the Equality Tribunal. You can find the booklet, Your Employment Equality Rights Explained on ihrec.ie

The Workplace Relations Commission is the place to bring a discrimation claim under the Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015 using the online complaint form

available on workplacerelations.ie. It investigates or mediates claims of unlawful discrimination under equality legislation.

How To Apply

For advice or assistance on human rights and equality issues contact Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland.

Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Thursday 10.30am - 12.30pm and 2.30pm - 4.30pm T: (01) 858 9601 | 1890 245 545 F: (01) 858 9609

E: publicinfo@ihrec.ie Source: www.citizensinformation.ie

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13

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NASC: THE IRISH IMMIGRANT SUPPORT CENTRE NASC, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, is a non-

governmental organisation (NGO) based in Cork City.

Nasc works for an integrated society based on the principles of human rights, social justice and equality.

Nasc (which is the Irish word for ‘link’) works to link

migrants to their rights through protecting human rights,

promoting integration and campaigning for change.

Nasc was founded in 2000 in response to the rapid rise in the number of asylum seekers and migrant workers

moving to the city of Cork. It is the only NGO offering legal information and advocacy services to migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and new Irish in Ireland’s

second city. Nasc’s legal team assist some 1,000 people annually in navigating Ireland’s protection, immigration

and naturalisation systems. We also assist migrants and ethnic-minority Irish people who encounter communitybased and institutional racism and discrimination.

Our campaigning strategy is informed by the issues

emanating from our legal case work and our day-to-day work with migrants.

Campaigning

Campaigning for change in policy and legislation is

an important part of our work here at Nasc. There is

a symbiotic relationship between the practical work

in our legal clinics and our campaign work: while our campaigning priorities are directly influenced by the issues we see our clinic service users face, so too is

our one-on-one Free Legal Service informed by the relationships we form with other stakeholders (both NGOs and government) through our campaign work.

Under our current Strategic Plan (2016-2018), we have

prioritised three major campaigns which will form the

core of our advocacy work over that timeframe. These include: 1) Family Reunification; 2) Direct Provision; and 3) Naturalisation.

Connecting Communities

Integration and social inclusion are woven into every

aspect and element of our work. As well as supporting

integration on an individual level through our direct

Legal Service

NASC operates a free Walk In Service providing

legal advice, information and referral on a range of immigration and asylum-related issues at our office

on Ferry Lane, Cork. Following a consultation through the walk-in service, a person may be referred for an appointment with one of our specialist legal officers if our team identifies that there is a particularly complex

case that we can assist with. Our legal service is private, confidential and non-judgmental.

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service, Nasc also supports key agencies such as the City Council, the County Council and through our membership of the Local Community Development

Committee (LCDC), to promote integration throughout the Cork region. We also support community and

voluntary groups who work with refugees and asylum seekers in their local community.

WWW.NASCIRELAND.ORG

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Bank of Ireland is committed to our greatest asset – our people, and enabling an inclusive working environment where diversity thrives.

In Bank of Ireland, we recognise the importance of enabling the unique capabilities of our people. We value the diversity within our workforce and focus on fostering an inclusive working environment where colleagues can really thrive and reach their full potential.

and share best practices across With Pride, InterGenerational, Multicultural, Gender Balance, Parents & Carers and Ability. Our senior leaders are active sponsors of these networks and actively encourage all colleagues to use their voices and take part.

Our award-winning Employee Wellbeing programme, Be At Your Best, encourages all colleagues to fulfil their potential, drive their own career success, and invest in their physical health and mental wellbeing.

For more information please visit our website on careers.bankofireland.com

Our Employee Support Networks promote inclusion and diversity in our culture and daily ways of working as well as providing a forum for colleagues with shared characteristics and interests to meet, collaborate 18

EMPLOYABILITY SERVICE Established in 2001, the National EmployAbility Service provides employment support services to people with disabilities and support needs throughout Ireland. It has a reputation for quality service provision with a strong focus on achieving desired results in each of its twenty three centres. Its vision is “Supporting people with a disability to secure and maintain employment” and each centre is a limited company governed by a voluntary Board of Directors.

The National EmployAbility Service mission is to help stem the flow of people with disabilities and extra support needs into long-term unemployment by facilitating integration into suitable and fulfilling mainstream paid employment.

In addition, its mission entails; • Forming

alliances

and

working

partnerships

with other organisations and service providers throughout objectives.

Ireland

to

meet

organisational

• Playing an active and leading role in informing and influencing employers with regard to the benefits of employing people with disabilities.

• Setting and promoting world class standards in employment and placement services within

a framework of total quality and continuous improvement.

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EmployAbility provides a range of supports to employers and people with disabilities through a team of Job Coaches and professional support staff. These supports include; • Individual Needs Assessment

• Vocational Profiling and Career Planning • Individual Employment Plan

• Job Sourcing and Job Matching

• On-the-Job Support and Coaching • Advice and Support to Employers • Follow-up

Support

and

Employers and Employees

Mentoring

to

both

Employment support is available to jobseekers over the age of 18, who may have different types of disabilities such as intellectual, mental health, physical, sensory, hidden and/or medical.

The Business Management and Human Resource Policies, Procedures and Practices of the EmployAbility Service audited during a 2016 external National Standards Association of Ireland (NSAI) assessment reflect good practice. This external NSAI report states: “There is a culture of high quality service provision and equally high people engagement that creates a vertically integrated service with a strong focus on achieving the organisation’s stated objectives”.

Employer Experience In

a

recently

published

Indecon

International

Consultants report (2016), prepared for the Department of Social Protection, one thousand two hundred employers were surveyed: The report states: “98% of the employers agreed that EmployAbility enabled their organisations to play a role in supporting people with a disability and 96% agreed that EmployAbility made it easier for their organisation to support the transition of people with disabilities into their own workforce. 90% of employers agreed that the EmployAbility Service delivered on their overall expectations”.

Participant Experience The 2016 Indecon International Consultants report also surveyed one thousand two hundred EmployAbility Service participants. Here Indecon Consultants identified that: “Significant numbers of participants showed satisfaction with the helpfulness of staff (92%) the availability of a local EmployAbility Service (89%) the application process (88%) the service overall (88%) and opportunities to gain work experience and employment (81%)”.

The EmployAbility Service is a free service to both Employers and Participants and is funded by the Department of Social Protection.

WWW.EMPLOYABILITY.IE

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WORKING WITH A DISABILITY Like all employees, people with disabilities can bring a range of skills, talents and abilities to the workplace and there is a range of supports to help them find and keep employment. Some of these are for people with disabilities who are working – see ‘Employees with disabilities’ below. Other supports are for people with disabilities who are unemployed – see ‘Looking for work’

adaptation, whether alterations are required to the premises and whether your working conditions and work practices will need to change. You should also be frank and realistic about your own ability to continue to

below.

The onset or progression of a disability can be a devastating event. However, it does not always mean that you will have to give up your job. Employers are obliged to make reasonable accommodations for staff with disabilities and often, you can continue working in an adapted workplace or with equipment and changes

Employees with disabilities If you develop a disability If you have a job and become disabled – for example, through an accident or illness – you may want to return to work at some time. In this situation, it is important to sit down with your employer and discuss openly your options. Depending on the nature of your disability and the type of job you have, there may be no problem with you returning to work. In fact, your disability may have no impact on the type of job you have or your ability to perform it. However, your disability may require that your workplace be adapted or you may need special equipment in order to perform your job. If your disability prevents you from returning to your previous job, there is a range of options available – see ‘Looking for work’ below.

If you become more disabled or need further support In situations where you already have a disability that has altered or is progressive, you should also sit down with your employer and discuss your available options and needs. Some of the issues you might discuss may involve whether or not your existing job requires further 21

work.

Options at work

to your work practice and conditions of employment.

Some possible options for you and your employer include: • Partial re-deployment which allows you to continue to do part of your original job (either part-time or with the addition of new tasks). You can drop certain tasks and take on others that are currently carried out by other colleagues.

• Re-deployment: If you are unable to perform your previous job, but could carry out another function within the organisation, re-training and redeployment are options you and your employer can consider.

• Flexible working arrangements: If you have a disability, being able to work part-time, flexitime, job share or work from home may be a deciding factor in whether you can resume your working life.

a person who is not fully competent or capable of undertaking the duties attached to a job. If you have a mental health difficulty there are 2 booklets Equality and mental health: what the law means for your workplace and Equality and mental health: how the law can help you.

Reasonable accommodation: The Employment

• Adapting the workplace and assistive technology: an accessible workplace and assistive technology can allow you to perform your job without difficulty. The Workplace/Equipment Adaptation Grant provides funding towards the costs of modifications or special equipment that will allow a disabled person to take up an offer of employment or to remain in employment. • Personal Reader Grant: If you are blind or visually

Equality Acts 1998-2015 require employers to take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of employees and prospective employees with disabilities.

Reasonable accommodation can be defined as some modification to the tasks or structure of a job or workplace, which allows the qualified employee with a disability to fully do the job and enjoy equal employment

opportunities.

However,

under

EU

legislation, employers are not obliged to provide special treatment or facilities if the cost of doing so is excessive or disproportionate.

impaired and you need help with job-related reading, you may be entitled to a grant to allow you to employ a personal reader.

Employment rights of people with disabilities Employees with disabilities have the same employment rights as other employees.

Equality legislation: The Employment Equality

Acts 1998-2015 outlaw discrimination on the grounds of disability in employment, including training and recruitment. However the Employment Equality Acts state that an employer is not obliged to recruit or retain

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Health and safety: Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 employers must ensure the safety, health and welfare of all employees in their workplace.

Special mention is made of employees with disabilities and employers are directed to take their needs into account, particularly with regard to doors, passageways, staircases, showers, washbasins, lavatories and workstations.

Public service quota: The Disability Act 2005 places an obligation on public bodies to consider and respond to the needs of people with disabilities. Under Part 5 of the Act, 3% of jobs in public service bodies (local authorities, civil service, the Health Service Executive and so on) are reserved for people with disabilities.

Looking for work Whether you are looking for a job for the first time or reentering the work force after an absence, it is important

that you take stock of your skills and the practicalities associated with both your disability and the kind of work for which you are applying. A lot of employers have equal opportunities policies in place and make it clear on job applications that they welcome applications from suitably qualified people with disabilities. However, you should be aware of your rights and the obligations potential employers have towards you under equality legislation. It is up to you to decide whether to disclose your disability to potential employers. This is particularly so if your disability is not obvious (such as a chronic illness like arthritis or a mental illness) but may keep you from performing certain duties. While you may have your reasons for keeping your disability private, your employer cannot accommodate any special needs you may have if they do not know about your condition.

There are a number of support schemes and training opportunities available to people with disabilities who want to enter the work force.

Supports and training Labour market services for people with disabilities include helping them find paid employment or preparing them for work through training or employment programmes.

Employment supports are provided by the Department of Social Protection.

There is training for the unemployed and for people who are re-entering the workforce through specific skills training and traineeships. Training for people in employment is offered through apprenticeships and in-company training. People with disabilities are encouraged to make use of all these training options.

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Training courses for people with disabilities who may need more intensive support than would be available in non-specialist training courses are delivered by specialist training providers. Some key features of specialist training include adapted equipment, a more individual approach and longer training sessions.

Disability payments and work

Job Interview Interpreter Grant Scheme

If you are getting Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension and you wish to return to work you may qualify for Partial Capacity Benefit.

If you are a jobseeker who is deaf, hard of hearing or has a speech impairment you can apply for funding to have a sign language interpreter or other interpreter attend a job interview with you. Funding can also be provided to cover the costs of an interpreter during an induction period when you start work.

If you are getting certain disability payments, for example, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension, you may be allowed to do some work that is rehabilitative or therapeutic - with permission from the Department of Social Protection - see ‘Employment schemes’ below.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission provides information about equality in work and discrimination issues.

Source: www.citizensinformation.ie

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NATIONAL WOMEN’S COUNCIL OF IRELAND lives. NWCI’s Director is Orla O’Connor. Orla holds an

MA in European Social Policy, and after starting out in local community based projects, has worked in senior

management in non-governmental organisations for

over 25 years. Orla represents NWCI in a wide range of national and international fora. Orla is a feminist, and an expert in the policies needed to progress women’s equality in Ireland. She is an accomplished public speaker, with a strong analysis of public policy.

Our core areas of work include: women in leadership, a woman’s right to health, valuing care and care work and women’s economic independence. Our work focuses on increasing women’s representation across all sections of The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) is the

leadership, particularly in politics and women on boards.

seeking equality between women and men. We were

16% of private company boards.

which includes over 180 member groups from a diversity

Improving quality, access and choice to reproductive

a growing number of individual members. NWCI’s

access to free, safe and legal abortion is currently one of

achievement of equality between women and men. We

for affordable childcare is our most prominent campaign.

and make sure their voices are heard wherever decisions

service in order to increase women’s participation

leading national women’s membership organisation founded in 1973, and we represent our membership

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Women in Ireland make up only 22% of the Dáil and only

of backgrounds, sectors and locations. We also represent

health is a core area of our health work, and within that

mission is to lead and to be a catalyst for change in the

our foremost campaigns. Within care work, campaigning

articulate the views and experiences of our members

The provision of childcare is the most important public

are made which affect the lives of women.

in employment and civic life. Regarding economic

Our vision is of an Ireland, and of a world, where there

pensions gaps are are most high profile areas. The

feminist organisation, and we believe that feminism is

widely known that we have a massive gender pensions

men have an equal say in the decisions that affect their

gap through a series of measures including affordable

independence, working to end the gender pay and

is full equality between women and men. NWCI is a

gender pay gap in Ireland stands at 14.4%, but is it not

about working to change society so that women and

gap of 37%. NWCI advocate ending the gender pay

childcare, ending low pay, better family leave provisions

has a responsibility to protect women. A combination

positions. Ending men’s violence against women is

frontline services and significant investment of resources

and ensuring more women are in senior decision making another core area of NWCI’s work. NWCI are very clear that we cannot just accept the violence and murder of

women as a problem that simply happens; the State

of stronger legislation, increased effectiveness of state

to increase women’s safety is fundamental to get to the heart of the problem.

You can become a member of NWCI and join the campaign for women’s equality on nwci.ie.

WWW.NWCI.IE

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INVESTORS IN DIVERSITY Investors in Diversity was founded by The National Centre for Diversity in the UK in 2005 with the aim of helping organisations take a planned and structured approach to improve their equality, diversity and inclusion practices. Today hundreds of organisations have been through the process which has been proven to transform organisations’ diversity practices and culture.

The Irish Centre for Diversity is delighted to be able to offer this approach to organisations across Ireland. We share the UK’s National Centre for Diversity mission in that we want to advance Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (FREDI) to ensure fairness for all.

We want to enable you to do more than just tick boxes; we want you to transform your workplace environment to ne to one which is equitable and inclusive, and where fairness for all is simply business as usual. Investors in Diversity is more than just a set of standards. It is a framework for transformation.

Investors in Diversity will help you by: Carrying out an equality impact assessment for you.

Providing you with an organisational culture evaluation.

Highlighting areas in which you are doing well and areas for development.

During the journey we will look at the character of your organisation including conduct, behaviour, and habits not just policies and procedures. We will analyse this information and use it to identify areas for development that are informed by, and tailored to, your needs and goals.

We will help you take stock of where you are, help you understand what you need to do next, assess how much you have progressed and recognise you as an Investor in Diversity once you have met the required standard.

“Diversity means different, We are all different therefore diversity includes us all.”

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AIB BECAME THE FIRST ORGANISATION IN IRELAND TO ACHIEVE THE INVESTORS IN DIVERSITY AWARD

We are delighted to announce that AIB, has become the first organisation in Ireland to achieve the highly prestigious Investors in Diversity (IID) award, demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity & inclusion and to continuous improvement in this area.

AIB stated that: “Ensuring our employees can bring the best of themselves to work each day and reflecting the customer base we serve is very important to us. We have been really pleased to take part in this programme and to benchmark ourselves against such a great standard of operation.”

The Investors in Diversity assessor concluded in his final report that “EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) is taken seriously and this is evident in the approach the organisation has taken in the last few years. There is a clear structure in place that includes the Diversity & Inclusion Board, senior D&I sponsors, employee resource groups and a host of regular events throughout the year.

One employee stated that: “D&I is not seen as an additional thing to do. My manager sees my involvement and role in the LGBT network as part of my job and not as something that needs additional time to do. I think this gives me the confidence to be involved in events and initiatives that I know will make a real difference to AIB and its customers”.

Solat Chaudhry , the Chair of the Irish Centre for Diversity and Chief Executive of the National Centre for Diversity(UK) said “This is a good day for AIB. They have proved that they value inclusion and have set a challenge to other Irish organisations. You don’t make history every day but well done AIB because today that is exactly what you have done”

For more information on Investors in Diversity visit www.irishcentrefordivesity.ie or email enquiries@irishcentrefordiversity.ie

WWW.IRISHCENTREFORDIVESITY.IE

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Tusla – Child and Family Agency offers a wide range of challenging career opportunities that enable our staff to make an important contribution to improve the wellbeing and outcomes for children living in Ireland.

For more information on careers at Tusla visit www.tusla.ie

As the largest local authority in Ireland, Dublin City Council provides hundreds of services on a daily basis to everyone in Dublin city and to people throughout the wider Dublin region.

We recognise that people have different talents to contribute to the goals and performance of the organisation. For this reason we try and make sure that every staff member can contribute and compete on equal terms.

For further information on Dublin City Council, please visit our website, www.dublincity.ie 29

Celebrating

Waterford City and County Council is committed to recruiting a workforce that represents the communities we serve.

For further information on Waterford City and County Council visit: www.waterfordcouncil.ie

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BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY IRELAND (BITCI) Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) specialises in providing advice and guidance to leading companies on corporate responsibility and sustainability and also works in education and employment. BITCI runs free programmes tackling issues on integration and social inclusion for businesses, the government and the notfor-profit sector.

BITCI runs three employment programmes focused on different target groups: The EPIC Programme

Employment for People from Immigrant Communities - supports immigrants to become economically independent and more socially integrated in Ireland.

Participants develop job seeking skills through 6 weeks’ part-time training, one-to-one support and have the option to access work experience opportunities. Since its inception in 2008, 2,644 people from 100 nationalities have engaged with the services. 1,081 participants have secured employment and 722 have entered training or volunteering positions.

The RFW Programme

Ready for Work - provides work experience, training and guidance to people facing high barriers to employment.

Barriers may include experiences of homelessness, mental ill health, addiction and early school leaving.

Participants access 2 days of training followed by 4 weeks part-time work experience. Since 2000, the programme has impacted 727 individuals and provided 644 work placements in businesses. A total of 291 have gained employment and 226 have taken up education, training or volunteering.

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The RISE Programme

Refugee Integration, Skills and Employability - is a new programme for refugees. Participants develop English language for the workplace, job seeking skills, further their understanding of Irish society and develop their networks. It started early in 2017 and so far has supported 11 refugees through a 7 week part-time training and individual support programme.

Participants interested in any of the programmes should complete the following requirements: • be over 18 • have the legal status to work in Ireland without restrictions so should have a Stamp 4 or a European passport • must be based in Dublin or the Greater Dublin Area • have a reasonable level of spoken and written English

The first step is to complete an application form that can be found at www.bitc.ie under the Business Action Programmes

“I learned how to layout my CV and cover letter for job applications and I also got hands on preparation for interview questions. Additionally I increased my knowledge about different topics such as the social welfare system and access to health in Ireland” Elisa

“Doing work experience has allowed me to improve my communication and interpersonal skills and to increase my confidence. I have realised my passion for working with people and learned to think strategically, solve problems and become more resourceful. I also have gained valuable Irish experience in different areas such as customer service, administration and social media” Livia

“The learning sessions about CV preparation and interview skills provided by recruiters and staff members from blue chip businesses such as Accenture, Indeed and Enterprise Rent a Car were the best part of my experience. At the end, I was ready for those interviews and able to present myself in four sentences within thirty seconds. Such links with businesses helped me to find a job with a leading ICT company and now I know for sure that I will soon get into my dream career”.

Enyyina

WWW.BITCI.IE

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HOW DIVERSE IS IRELAND? Source: www.cso.ie

Religion and Ethnicity in Ireland

Profile 8 Irish Travellers

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Migration and Diversity

34

Health Disability and Carers

35

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INCLUSION IRELAND Inclusion Ireland, the National Association for People with an Intellectual Disability, is a rights-based advocacy organisation that works to promote the human rights of persons with an intellectual disability. Inclusion Ireland’s vision is that of people with an intellectual disability living and participating in the community with equal rights as citizens, to live the life of their choice to their fullest potential. Inclusion Ireland’s work is underpinned by the values of dignity, inclusion, social justice, democracy and autonomy.

Established in 1961, Inclusion Ireland provides a central forum for its members to identify priorities and formulate nationally agreed policies to present to government, statutory bodies, other relevant groups as well as the general public. Inclusion Ireland campaigns for changes in services and legislation that will improve the quality of life and participation of people with an intellectual disability in Irish Society.

These campaigns include:

• Campaigning for the commissioning of disability services that provide quality of life and better outcomes by maximising values such as choice, equity and accountability, • Campaigning for the full introduction of personal budgets which allows a person, no matter the complexity of their support needs, to decide what services and supports they receive, and who provides those services and supports.

• Campaigning for all people with disabilities to be allowed to live in the community with the supports that they need and for the use of institutional residential care settings to be ended.

• Campaigning for legislators to fully respond to the fact that people with disabilities are more likely to be in poverty, less likely to have a job, less likely to advance in work, earn less in employment and that

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the financial costs associated with having a disability are great.

• Campaigning for the full commencement of the law to allow for a person whose capacity to make a decision is in question to appoint a person to assist, co-decide or to have somebody appointed to represent them for the purpose of making a decision.

In addition to campaigning on these key issues, Inclusion Ireland:

• promotes advocacy for people with an intellectual disability, particularly self-advocacy • provides an information and advice service by phone, post and through its website • publishes information leaflets and booklets • publishes a quarterly newsletter • organises seminars and conferences on intellectual disability • gives information and training talks to a range of groups • represents the intellectual disability sector in Ireland at an international level by its membership of Inclusion International and Inclusion Europe • promotes research into intellectual disability

Contact Details Inclusion Ireland Unit C2, The Steelworks, Foley Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.

Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday T: 01 855 9891 E: info@inclusionireland.ie

WWW.INCLUSIONIRELAND.IE

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CHAMBERS IRELAND Chambers Ireland is the largest business network in the State. With members in every geographic region and economic sector in Ireland, we are well positioned to understand the concerns of businesses from all areas in the country and represent their views. The objective of Chambers Ireland and the Irish Chamber Network is to support Irish enterprise and entrepreneurship and advocate for initiatives that protect and enhance our competitiveness.

In May of this year, Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald, in her capacity as Minister for Justice and Equality, launched the Government’s new National Women’s Strategy in Dublin Castle. It aims to encourage women into leadership roles in the workplace as well as sport, politics and the arts.

The National Women’s Strategy 2017-2020 provides Government with an opportunity to address gaps that may be having an impact on Ireland’s economic performance. The Irish economy is competing against the top performing countries in the OECD for investment and for access to markets. If we are to position ourselves as a knowledge-economy with a highly skilled workforce, our human capital must be developed to its full capacity.

Therefore, ensuring that Ireland is a more equal society, where men and women are supported to reach their full potential, as citizens, employees, leaders and entrepreneurs, must be a crucial part of future policy planning As part of our submission in January of this year, Chambers Ireland made a number of recommendations on how the new strategy could support increased equality in the workforce and support entrepreneurship.

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Women in the Workforce

Promoting Equality: Investment in Childcare • In a report published by Chambers Ireland in 2015 “Investing for Tomorrow- Supporting the Economy through Affordable Childcare” , lack of affordability, lack of accessibility, lack of educational focus and low levels of investment were problems identified with the current model for childcare provision in Ireland. Government must continue to invest in child-care services in the long-term and funding secured in last year’s budget must be at least matched in Budget 2018.

Supporting Parenting Equality • If gaps in pay and pensions are to be eradicated in the long-term, a cultural shift will be required in how care-giving responsibilities are met in society. If women continue bear the brunt of these obligations, the gender gap in socioeconomic equality will continue to exist. We call on Government to work with employer’s groups to examine how increasing parental leave provisions can be introduced and managed with minimal burden to employers.

Women in Business

Promoting Entrepreneurship: Access to Finance • We recommend expanding funds like the Competitive Start Fund that targets female entrepreneurs to include a broader range of business models and sectors would have a positive impact on female entrepreneurs who are struggling to access finance and investment.

Promoting Entrepreneurial Skills • Develop “educating the educator” programmes for teachers in STEM fields to encourage and support female students in business creation would be a helpful first step to supporting more women to be active in STEM related professions. Encourage Female Entrepreneurs to grow their business and consider trading internationally • The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor noted that more than half of female entrepreneurs are focused entirely on the home market and have no markets overseas, while just one third of male entrepreneurs are similarly focused. We recommend that state agencies provide training to female entrepreneurs on international trade and commit to increasing female participation in Irish trade missions to help female entrepreneurs to access new markets.

For more information on the work of Chambers Ireland, visit our website at www.chambers.ie or follow us on Twitter at @ChambersIreland

WWW.CHAMBERS.IE

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COMMITTED TO WORKING TOGETHER AS A CONFIDENT TEAM, VALUING EXCELLENCE, PARTNERSHIP, COMMITMENT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP. • Ranked in the Top 200 most international universities in the world 2016 • Delivering Equality and Diversity eLearning programmes with the Irish Universities Equality Network • Promoting equality of opportunity across the University

http://www.nuigalway.ie/equalityanddiversity 41

Beaumont Hospital is a large academic teaching hospital 5km north of Dublin City centre. We provide emergency and acute care services across 54 medical specialties to a local community of some 290,000 people.

Are you ready?

Join the most respected team in town Beaumont.

We employ approximately 3,000 staff and have 820 beds. We are the principal teaching hospital for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. We also enjoy close links with Dublin City University, especially in the area of nurse training, and with other academic institutions in respect of training and research

For more information on careers at Beaumont Hospital visit www.beaumont.ie/careers

We are committed to Equality and Diversity and aim to employ a workforce that is representative of the local population. We have a range of career opportunities and welcome applications from all communities.

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DIT

Una Beagon Tell us a little about your job and what it entails?

My title is Assistant Head of School in the School of Civil & Structural Engineering in the Dublin Institute of Technology and I am one of three people in the School Executive. My job is quite varied though and it ranges from lecturing, dealing with academic matters such as curriculum design through to advertising our programmes and dealing with student enquiries. I’m also lucky to be involved in a range of initiatives which include industry liaison and community work. For example, last year we organised a spaghetti bridge competition for three local girls’ schools. Myself, accompanied by some female engineering students and staff visited the schools and created some great bridge designs. We were then able to host the pupils in DIT and gave them a careers talk and a tour of the labs and facilities we have here. I think it is really important to highlight engineering as a potential career choice for young girls and that is one of my key aims in this role.

Why did you decide to work within the higher education sector?

I guess I would call myself an engineer first and an academic second. I knew that I wanted to be an engineer from a young age and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the Queen’s University of Belfast. I then worked in industry as a consulting engineer for about 20 years and worked on some really exciting projects both in Ireland and the UK. I was at Director Level and always assumed I would stay in consultancy until I was invited to do some part-time lecturing and I found that I really loved it. I got great satisfaction from seeing students develop as an engineer through their studies, graduating with excellent technical and professional skills ready to meet the demands of industry.

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I enrolled in the Post Graduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching in DIT to develop my craft as a teacher and I made the decision to leave consultancy and join as an Assistant Lecturer shortly after.

How do you feel DIT has supported you to progress through the organisation?

DIT is committed to providing a rich educational experience for its students and that core principle applies to staff too. I have been a willing attendee at many short courses and training sessions that DIT offer.

There are many courses which range from the PG Dip in Third Level Learning and Teaching that I have already mentioned to CPD courses in Academic Writing and Publishing, Higher Educational Policy and e-learning techniques, all of which I have taken advantage of.

Furthermore, I was sponsored to attend the Aurora Leadership Development Programme, which specifically aims to encourage and assist female academics within their career in Higher Education.

However, I guess, the most important opportunity that DIT has afforded me is their support of a part-time PhD which I am currently undertaking. It is a work in progress, but I am really excited about the topic and about the opportunities available to me when I complete it. None of these things could have been achieved without the support of many colleagues and the management team in DIT.

What do you enjoy most about working for DIT?

I enjoy working with people. That was key aspect of my experience in industry too. I sit on several active committees which range from enhancement of our programmes, assessment and feedback techniques, academic matters and individual project initiatives. This enables me to meet and work with a range of people within the organisation. I also enjoy helping students.

I have realised that the world in which our students live today is very different from when I was at college and students are faced with many challenges that are sometimes difficult to fathom. The cost of living in Dublin means that many students travel far distances and I have also several students who are caring for elderly or infirm parents or siblings in difficult circumstances. We have small class sizes in DIT which means that we can get to know our students well and so we are at least able to identify support services which may help these students.

I also really enjoy working with my colleagues in the School of Civil and Structural Engineering. We have a great team of technicians and lecturers who all work together to help each other out. That comradery makes for a pleasant day’s work.

What advice would you give to other women looking to work in this industry?

The aspect of being a woman in academia never crossed my mind until I became aware of the issues surrounding

progression of women in Higher Educational Institutions as reported by the HEA. I do welcome the spotlight however, as it can only encourage women to apply for more senior positions. Even though we are an Engineering School, nearly 40% of our staff are female, which is probably highly unusual.

One of the best aspects of my job is the flexibility that it affords. Whilst you are limited in certain aspects, such as you cannot really book a day off during term time, there is a certain amount of flexibility in my role. I work hard, including weekends at times, but I am quite willing to do that as it means I can drop my kids to school three mornings a week. This would have been quite difficult to negotiate in private industry where you are expected to be at your desk at 9am, although I am delighted to see that many companies are being more proactive about this flexibility in work. Would I be tempted to go back to consulting engineering? – I’m afraid not, despite the higher salaries, the flexibility is something that money cannot buy!

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CAREERS PORTAL Our mission is to provide the most up to date career information to users in an integrated, innovative, supportive and engaging manner. CareersPortal.ie provides a gateway to the most useful information available to those needing or providing career guidance.

Ireland. It is not a test, rather a short assessment that generates a full 8-page career/job matching report, other reports include course matching list based on your top three interest areas identified by the app.

Members Area – the Career File

Your Career File will look something like this:

To get the most out of the site, registration is recommended. This allows users to take the selfassessments and save information that helps with career planning. When someone registers, they create their own Career File.

Registration

This is simple and quick. Start by signing up to careersportal.ie (note that this is a completely free service). The sign-up button is located on the top left hand corner on the black bar on all pages.

We recommend using your current e-mail address and create a new password for CareersPortal. Take a note of this information for future use. As well as your name, email and password, you will be asked to select a Community that best describes you – at school, at college or an adult learner or job seeker.

The Apps

The Apps or activities above are helpful in developing a fuller perspective on yourself and you can use this information to inform the next steps you take on your career journey. (Note: you can complete these via any mobile device). The Interest Profiler is very useful in helping you find your top three interest areas (from a list of 8) and how they match with jobs and courses in

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Jobseeker Section

Below is an overview of the menu that is available in the jobseeker section:

The Job Seeker area of the CareersPortal website is designed to meet the needs of the unemployed or those considering changing their job or career path.

This area contains resources and tools to help people along their journey to new employment. Clients seeking employment will find many of the resources here to be of value.

The jobseeker area is designed to bring together in one place, on the available and relevant sources of information and supports specific to job seekers (including links to the INOU), in an easy to navigate menu system.

Jobseekers can be shown how to use these tools to inform their job research. The section additionally allows them to explore current job vacancies and to access daily live career news updates.

The jobseeker section is interconnected across up skilling, retraining, volunteering and return to learning opportunities, alongside a comprehensive occupations database and informative jobholder interviews.

Jobholder Interviews and Videos

These interviews are with people working in different jobs throughout Ireland. Clients can view interviews about a jobholder’s day and their career development, questions about their current job, and the level of education and training they undertook to work in their chosen sector.

WWW.CAREERSPORTAL.IE

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PAVEE POINT TRAVELLER AND ROMA CENTRE Our mission is to contribute to the improvement in

with no alternative put in place. Enhanced capitation

participation of Travellers and Roma through working

cut and additional school transport support ceased in

the quality of life, living circumstances, status and innovatively

for

social

justice,

greater

development, equality and human rights.

solidarity,

Our approach is one of community development and

we currently run programmes dedicated to Primary Health Care, Drugs and Alcohol, Ethnic Data, Men’s

Health, Violence Against Women, Roma, Information and Community Employment.

Education

Traveller attainment in education remains much lower than that of the general population.

According to Census 2016

• 13% of Traveller women were educated to upper secondary or above compared to 69% of the general population

• 57% of Traveller men leave school after primary compared to 14% of the general population

• 167 Irish Travellers held a 3rd Level qualification in 2016

Recent cut-backs (86%) in supports for Traveller

2010. There needs to be a re-investment in Traveller inclusion in formal education and we continue to lobby

for a Traveller Education Strategy. Unfortunately we were forced to close our own education programme in 2017 due to lack of funding.

Employment

Our Geels All Ireland Health Study of 2010

• 84% of Travellers were unemployed compared to 14% of general population.

• Micheál MacGreil Maynooth University 2010

• 41% of people not willing to employ a Traveller.

Discrimination in the work place

Many young Travellers say they see little point in

staying on at school because there is little or no chance of gaining employment due to discrimination in the workplace.

Many Travellers are forced to hide their identity to get a job or to stay in a job. This has negative knock on effects that can affect well-being and mental health.

inclusion in formal education.

A National Traveller Employment and Training Strategy

Six hundred Resource Teachers for Travellers jobs were

back to work and enterprise schemes.

education have eaten away at progress made in Traveller

cut in 2011. All 33 Senior Traveller Training Centres, with about 1,000 students, were closed in June 2012

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funding to school for Traveller children was substantially

Travellers are not benefitting from current Government

A targeted

outreach approach is needed to ensure that another generation of Irish Travellers are not excluded.

Positive action measures in the Labour Market

Anti-racism training for employers and service providers

introducing positive discrimination and employing

understand the devastating impact that discrimination

The Government needs to lead the way on this by Travellers within the civil service.

In 2005 ten Traveller men were offered positions with South Dublin County Council. The HR manager held

Discrimination is against the law and employers need to in the workplace has for young people who are trying to get on in life. Indirect discrimination also creates specific barriers to Traveller employment.

group meetings and one to one meetings at least once

Support for the Traveller Economy

people were offered full time employment and 4 are still

Travellers have the skills to make businesses work –

every six weeks. On completion of the programme 7 working with the SDCC.

Traditionally

Travellers

are

self-employed

traders.

understanding niche markets, flexibility, being able to engage with people and family support.

Derek Speirs

Derek Speirs

WWW.PAVEEPOINT.IE

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ONE PARENT FAMILIES Our Vision

One Family believes in an Ireland where every family is cherished equally and enjoys the social, financial and legal equality to create their own positive futures.

Our Mission

One Family is working to ensure a positive and equal future for all members of all one-parent families in Ireland – changing attitudes, services, policies and lives.

Together with one-parent families and those working with them, we are committed to achieving equality and respect for all families.

In addition to striving for fundamental structural change, we support individual one-parent families as they parent through times of family, work and life change, and those experiencing a crisis pregnancy. We know that every family is unique, and so we work in a family centred way to bring about better lives for parents and children.

Our 45 Year History

In 1972, One Family began life as Cherish. In that year, a group of single mothers, led by Maura O’Dea Richards, set about reaching others in the same situation. Mary Robinson, then a Senator, became our first President.

Founder member Colette O’Neill suggested Cherish as

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a name for the group, taken from the 1916 Proclamation which declared that Ireland would ‘cherish all of the children of the nation equally’. Unfortunately in 1972, this was not the case. Single pregnant women were often thrown out of their homes, lost their jobs and were rejected by their communities. It was extremely difficult for them to keep and raise their children themselves.

Cherish was set up to provide such women and children with a voice, empowering women to help themselves and their families.

As an organisation, Cherish not only provided services to single parents and their children, but also campaigned for change. While many changes were brought about, two of the most significant were the introduction of the unmarried mother’s allowance and the abolition of the status of illegitimacy.

In 1973, after much hard lobbying work, Cherish celebrated the introduction of the unmarried mother’s allowance – the first social welfare payment to acknowledge the existence of women bringing up children on their own. In 1987, after many years of campaigning, the Status of Children Act finally abolished the status of illegitimacy. In 2011 the first Family Day event was held in the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2 with over 2,500 people gathering for a day of festivities in celebration of family diversity.

We continue to work to affect positive change and achieve equality and social inclusion for all one-parent families in Ireland. We look forward to many more years of achievement for our leading and

radical

organisation.

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ICTU LGBTQI Rights at Work

Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives, including the right to be free from discrimination and to be treated equally. Unfortunately, despite much progress over the years, LGBTQI people continue to experience discrimination and exclusion at work. LGBTQI people are now much more visible at work, with the majority “out” to some or all colleagues and a growing number of LGBTQI worker networks and trade union groups. However, The LGBT Ireland Report launched in March 2017 found that LGBTI people still face considerable barriers to good mental health, including bullying at school, fear of rejection and discrimination, harassment and violence and negative attitudes and stereotypes. It reveals that there is a hierarchy of risk among LGBTI people, with intersex, transgender and bisexual people reporting poorer mental health outcomes compared to gay men and lesbian women.

While workplaces emerge as relatively safe places, it is clear that stigma, rejection and discrimination are still a reality for many LGBTI people in Ireland today.

The TENI Speaking from the Margins (2014) survey of Transgender people found that: • 49% were unemployed; • 14% believed they had experienced workplace harassment or discrimination; • 14% believed they had been unfairly turned down for a job; and • 9% believed they had been unfairly fired, dismissed or laid off.

It is our view that the most effective way to tackle such discrimination is for LGBTI people to join their trade

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union. Unions provide people the freedom to express their concerns, and to organize and participate in the decisions that affect their working lives and that is why the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has a long history of engagement with LGBTQI issues both at work and in wider society. On the basis that 5-7% of the population are members of the LGBTQI community that equates to over 50,000 trade union members on the island.

From the publication of the 1982 Lesbian and Gay Rights in the Workplace Guidelines for Negotiators, regularly updated since then, trade unions have been representing the interests of their LGBTQI members and negotiating policies and practices to support inclusive workplaces and trade unions for a number of decades now. They have also been to the fore in campaigning for the substantial range of legal protections now in force which protect LGBTQI workers, including the Unfair Dismissals Act and the Employment Equality Act. We have always worked in partnership with many LGBTQI organisations, including GLEN, TENI and others and are regular marchers in Pride parades around the country.

In 2014, BeLonG To, Ireland’s national organisation for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) young people and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions together launched a campaign to combat the homophobia and transphobia that LGBT young people face in the workplace. The campaign included a video that went viral on social media!

And of course trade unions were to the fore in the successful 2015 Marriage Equality referendum with Trade Unions for Civil Marriage Equality leading the way. Congress strongly backed a “yes” vote and campaigned to make it a reality. That was the right thing to do and reflected the very strong commitment of the trade union movement to equality and our key role in achieving greater fairness and justice, over many decades. Unfortunately, civil marriage equality is yet to become a reality in Northern Ireland and Congress is a key member of the campaign for equal civil marriage in Northern Ireland.

We are currently working to ensure that the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill seeks to ensure that same sex

spouses and civil partners of members of occupational pension schemes will be able to obtain, in certain circumstances, a spouse’s pension.

The progress we have achieved in Ireland has unfortunately not always been the experience elsewhere and that is why we also work on an international basis with both the ETUC and ITUC. On the occasion of 2017 World Pride, we participated in the European Trade Union Confederation and its LGBTQI Rights Trade Union Network, culminating in the Madrid Declaration on ‘The Rights of LGBTQI People in the Workplace’

You can read about these and other initiatives here https://www.ictu.ie/equality/lgbt.html

WWW.ICTU.IE

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NEW COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP NEW COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP

Migrant-led Umbrella organisation for 150 migrant groups in Ireland New Communities Partnership (NCP) is an independent national organisation of over 150 minority-led groups in Ireland that was set-up by its members 14 years ago. It’s mission is to be an effective network, representing and empowering ethnic minority-led groups and individuals, at all levels, in order to influence positive change in policies that impact on their lives. NCP has three offices in Dublin and Cork and reaches out to migrant communities in many other counties in Ireland.

Throughout the years, NCP has identified challenges that new communities were facing in Ireland, and has directed all its efforts in responding to these challenges by promoting policies. Setting up various programmes and services to help on one hand, migrants understand the Irish system, create awareness and improve access to services, and on the other hand, to help service providers understand the migrants’ background and how to better reach out and support their needs while in Ireland.

NCP supports migrant individuals and groups through drop-ins, outreach, training, information, advocacy and referrals provided by national and local services, which have supported over 14,000 migrants in the last year.

Some of the NCP projects are: • Migrant Family Support Service: Nationwide multilingual free service supporting migrant families who are experiencing child protection interventions. The service provides a telephone helpline, drop-in clinic,

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outreach, information and advocacy. It also provides child protection training for religious and migrant community groups.

• Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme: Regional community programme that works by promoting social inclusion and equality through a wide range of services for both individuals and groups. The service provides a helpline, drop in clinics, learning support, referrals, community support and group formation. SICAP is confidential and free of charge.

• Migrant Access Programme: Nationwide free service supporting migrants to access employment in Ireland. The programme offers training and public information sessions on job seeking skills, basic English and computer skills, CV and cover letter creation, and employment rights and entitlements.

• NCP Youth Ireland: English Language and Homework Support. A youth project within NCP that aims to identify the challenges and issues migrant youth face in Ireland. Its mission is to work towards an intercultural and inclusive Irish society where migrant students are achieving their full potential in schools and have the same opportunities as their Irish peers.

• Citizenship Application Support Service: A multilingual, drop-in service, for migrants going through the Irish naturalisation process with offices in Dublin and Cork. The Service is manned by trained staff, speaking different languages, 5 days a week.

On top of its services, NCP is organizing annual events to highlight the experiences of new communities in Ireland and to promote the culture and traditions of these communities in Ireland: intercultural family days, information days for new communities, multicultural exhibitions, book launches, voter registration campaigns and many more. “The uniqueness of NCP services is the fact that is the it only migrant led umbrella organisation in the country working with the support of state agencies and migrant communities, representing new communities of over 70 nationalities. Additionally, NCP has a diverse team of 15 staff from 4 continents and 13 different nationalities,

speaking 16 languages and over 100 volunteers.NCP is working towards an intercultural and inclusive Irish Society where individuals are achieving equality in economic, social, political and cultural aspects of Irish life. NCP is funded by various State departments and local authorities.� Anca Lupu, NCP CEO

Contact Details New Communities Partnership 53 Upper Dorset Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.

T: 01/872 78 42 facebook: NewCommunitiesPartnership

WWW.NEWCOMMUNITIES.IE

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USEFUL CONTACTS AGE & OPPORTUNITY Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9, Ireland T: 01 805 7709 E: info@ageandopportunity.ie W: www.ageandopportunity.ie •

DEAFHEAR 35 North Fredrick Street, Dublin 1, Ireland T: 01 817 5700 | F: 01 872 3816 E: info@deafhear.ie W: www.deafhear.ie

IRISH COUNCIL FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES 9-13 Blackhall Place, Dublin 7, Ireland T: 01 799 4504 | F: 01 799 4512 E: info@iccl.ie W: www.iccl.ie

•

•

AGE ACTION IRELAND 30/31 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2, Ireland T: 01 475 6989 | F: 01 475 6011 E: info@ageaction.ie W: www.ageaction.ie

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE BLIND IRELAND (NCBI) Head Office, Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, Ireland T: 01 830 7033 | F: 01 830 7787 E: info@ncbi.ie W: www.ncbi.ie

ONE FAMILY 8 Coke Lane, Dublin 7, Ireland T: 01 662 9212 | F: 01 662 9096 E: info@onefamily.ie W: www.onefamily.ie

•

•

•

IRISH ADVOCACY NETWORK LTD Head Office, c/o Health Care Unit, Rooskey, Co. Monaghan, Ireland T: 047 38918 | F: 047 38682 E: admin@irishadvocacynetwork.com W: www.irishadvocacynetwork.com

NATIONAL DISABILITY AUTHORITY 25 Clyde Road, Dublin 4, Ireland T: 01 6080 400. | F: 01 6609 935 E: nda@nda.ie W: www.nda.ie

THE NATIONAL TRAVELLER WOMEN'S FORUM 4/5 Eustace Street, Dublin 2, Ireland T: 01 672 7430 E: ntwf@iol.ie W: www.ntwf.net

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ADAPTABLE SOLUTIONS Ballinfull, Co. Sligo, Ireland T: 071 91 73685 E: info@adaptablesolutions.ie W: www.adaptablesolutions.ie

IMMIGRANT COUNCIL OF IRELAND 2 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2, Ireland T: 01 674 0200 | 01 674 0202 F: 01 645 8059 W: www.immigrantcouncil.ie

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BELONG TO YOUTH SERVICE, Parliament House, 13 Parliament Street, Dublin 2, Ireland T: 01 670 6223 | F: 01 670 6219 E: info@belongto.org W: www.belongto.org

NATIONAL LGBT HELPLINE Unit 1.15, Smithfield Business Centre, Smithfield Square, Dublin 7, Ireland T: 01 685 9280 E: info@lgbt.ie W: www.lgbt.ie

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THE IRISH WHEELCHAIR ASSOCIATION (IWA) Áras Chúchulain, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3, Ireland T: 01 818 6400 | F: 01 833 3873 E: info@iwa.ie W: www.iwa.ie

TRANSGENDER EQUALITY NETWORK IRELAND Unit 2, 4 Ellis Quay, Dublin 7, Ireland T: 01 873 3575 E: office@teni.ie W: www.teni.ie

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IRISH HUMAN RIGHTS & EQUALITY COMMISSION 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland T: 01 858 9601 | F: 01 858 9609 E: info@ihrec.ie W: www.ihrec.ie

OUTHOUSE LGBT Community Resource Centre 105 Capel Street, Dublin 1, Ireland T: 01873 4999 | 01 674 0202 F: 01 645 8059 W: www.outhouse.ie

• IRISH DEAF SOCIETY (IDS) Deaf Village Ireland, Ratoath Road, Cabra, Dublin 7.

T: 01 860 1878 M: +353 (86) 380 7033 E: info@irishdeafsociety.ie W: www.irishdeafsociety.ie • MENTAL HEALTH IRELAND Head Office, Mensana House, 6 Adelaide Street, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland T: 01 284 1166 | F: 01 284 1736 E: info@mentalhealthireland.ie W: www.mentalhealthireland.ie • IRISH WHEELCHAIR ASSOCIATION Head Office, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3, Ireland T: 01 818 6400 E: info@iwa.ie W: www.iwa.ie

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Why Join Investors in Diversity?

Investors in Diversity

is the perfect framework to

bring all of your equality, diversity and inclusion

initiatives together and eliminates the potential for

We help you take stock of where you are.

miscommunication, duplication, and omission.

Harnessing the diversity of your staff helps you create

We then help you understand what you need to do next.

more than just a happy workplace: a happy work place is an eďŹƒcient and productive workplace which is essential to the success of your organisation. Investors in Diversity

has been designed to be more than just a box-ticking exercise.

During the journey we will look at the character of your

organisation, including conduct, behaviour, and habits - not just policies and procedures. We will analyse this information and use it to identify areas for development

that are informed by, and tailored to, your needs and

We assess how much you have progressed.

goals.

If you have done well enough, you achieve Investors in Diversity

For more information visit www.irishcentrefordiversity.ie

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VIA

WEBSITE

www.irishcentrefordiversity.ie Irish Centre for Diversity Waterford Enterprise Centre, Cork Rd, Waterford T: 051 348340 E: enquiries @irishcentrefordiversity.ie W: www.irishcentrefordiversity.ie

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