The large number of complaints about racism in the workplace is worrying, the Equality Authority has said.
In November, these complaints accounted for the greatest number (42 per cent) of case files being dealt with by the Equality Authority under the Employment Equality Act.
"The speed at which discrimination on race grounds has become such an issue is worrying," said Mr Niall Crowley, chief executive of the Equality Authority.
He said migrant workers had only really started coming to this country a few years ago but a high level of racial discrimination had already established itself.
It was worrying how swiftly racial complaints had displaced complaints on gender grounds, Mr Crowley said.
Last year, 166 cases involved race, 164 cases involved gender, 90 were about disability and 50 concerned age discrimination.
The Equality Authority had heard complaints from migrant workers about working conditions, unequal pay, harassment and unfair dismissal. Mr Crowley said it was still unacceptable that gender-related complaints were the second highest group of cases, given that gender equality legislation had been introduced 30 years ago.
He said workplace equality would be the main focus for the Equality Authority in the coming months, with a campaign planned to inform people of their new rights in areas such as maternity provision, adoptive leave, and parental leave.
The Equality Authority will also be lobbying to ensure that the newly restructured health services will be "equality competent".
Mr Crowley said the new health service should be structured so that discrimination was prevented or effectively dealt with, diversity was acknowledged and equality objectives actively pursued.
The State had "a unique opportunity" to introduce equality into the health service in a planned and systematic way. "We would be breaking new ground and taking leadership for other countries to follow," he said. Mr Crowley said health inequalities were "well documented" whether they affected age, gender or socio-economic status. "But we need better data to identify what needs to be done," he said.
People already knew that men's health did not get the same level of attention in certain areas, he said. There was an emphasis on breast cancer but prostate cancer did not receive the same attention.
The health inequalities facing Travellers were also well known, with Travellers dying younger and getting ill more often than their settled counterparts.
Old people also found they were discriminated against and were not, for example, receiving the community care services they needed. Women over 65 were excluded from BreastCheck, the free mammogram service for women at risk from breast cancer.
The Equality Authority is now funding the North Western Health Board to research the health care experiences of gays and lesbians. He called on the Minister for Health, Ms Harney, to give leadership on providing equality in the health service.
