THE Employment Equality Bill, which comes before the Dail today, has been criticised as flawed and inadequate by equality organisations.
The Equality Campaign, which was established in 1992 to press for legislative protection of equality rights, said the Bill was "fundamentally flawed" and would lead to many employees being unable to seek action against discrimination.
The Bill aims to protect employees and prospective employees from discrimination under nine categories, including gender age, disability, sexual orientation or family status.
Ms Suzy Byrne, spokeswoman for the Equality Campaign, said the Bill did not deal adequately with the introduction of equality for everyone in employment. She criticised the "opt out" clause applying in certain instances to church run institutions, which she described as "legitimising discrimination".
She also said there was no provision allowing legal aid for those taking cases under the Bill.
The Irish Union of Supported Employment, an umbrella organisation committed to the integrated employment of people with disabilities, condemned the Bill as "window dressing". Mr Christy Lynch, spokesman for the IUSE, said his organisation was "completely opposed" to the medical definition of disability included in the Bill.
He said he was also concerned that the Bill did not require employers to provide ramps or other access facilities for people with disabilities.