Racism in farming is of increasing concern, the chief executive of the Equality Authority, Mr Niall Crowley, has said. Speaking in advance of Anti-Racism Workplace Week which starts today, he welcomed the new participation of the Irish Farmers' Association.
Among the forms the discrimination takes is lower pay, harassment, not getting the same time-off entitlements Irish workers get as well as a failure to take cultural and language differences into account, said Mr Crowley. He said employers must take such differences into account to achieve a discrimination-free workplace.
Race now accounts for 42 per cent of case files under the Employment Equality Act, at the authority - up from 30 per cent last year. Though Mr Crowley was not able to say whether the proportion of cases being taken by farm workers was increasing significantly, the participation of the IFA reflected increasing concern within the sector about discrimination. Migrant workers are coming to work in farming in higher and higher numbers from the new EU states.
Workers from the accession states may now work here without a work permit. Mr John Dillon, president of the IFA, said migrant workers were playing a "key role in helping farmers, particularly those involved in the horticultural sector, to maintain productivity in the context of labour shortages.
"The IFA is pleased to lend its support to this initiative and to highlight the good examples of cultural integration that exists in the agri-sector," he said. Employers must more positively assist migrant workers with the challenges they face in a foreign workplace. To do otherwise will be seen as an indirect form of discrimination, the IFA says citing a recent Labour Court decision.
The decision, in the case Campbell Catering Ltd v Mr Aderonke, set out a duty on employers to ensure their disciplinary policies and procedures take account of the practical implications of cultural and linguistic diversity.
"The decision would suggest it is important that employers review all their employment policies and procedures to ensure they take linguistic and cultural differences into account," said Mr Crowley.
The authority, along with other participants in the Anti-Racist Workplace Week, will this morning publish a practical guide for employers on meeting their obligations. Promoting Equality in Intercultural Workplaces will be endorsed by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell. This guide says action should be taken in several areas.
Migrant workers should be supported to adapt to the workplace.
Cultural and linguistic diversity should be acknowledged with initiatives to accommodate differences.
The workforce should be supported to explore and, if necessary, change their attitudes to migrant workers.
The workforce should be appropriately supported and required not to discriminate against black and ethnic minority workers.
Workplace systems should be developed to ensure they do not discriminate against sectors of the workforce.
Positive action measures should be developed to promote full equality and that an equality focus be embedded in all decision making practices in the workplace.
Mr Turlough O'Sullivan, director general of IBEC, said that in a context where the State was increasingly reliant on migrant workers it was "vital" that Ireland maintain an image of being a welcoming place to work.
"I think Anti-Racism Workplace Week is sending out a very clear message that racism, in any form, cannot be tolerated by employers or employees," he said.
Mr David Begg, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said leadership on the issue of racism at work was invaluable. Employers had a "positive duty" to ensure migrant workers fully understood their rights.
The week will entail a public awareness campaign with billboard posters throughout the State carrying the message: "Together Ireland is working. Don't let racism obstruct us."
Now in its fifth year the week is also supported by the Small Firms Association, the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland and the Construction Industry Federation.
Copies of the guide Promoting an Intercultural Workplace are available from the Equality Authority on lo call 1890 245 545.
