MORE than 20 organisations representing disadvantaged people have called on the Government to publish its promised equality legislation urgently.
"We assumed that when the partnership government came to power in 1993 and told us that they would introduce an Employment Equality Bill and Equal Status Bill the need for campaigning was over", stated Mr Donal Toolan, one of the organisers of yesterday's press conference to highlight the delays.
The Employment Equality Bill is to address discrimination against women, people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups entering the labour market. The Equal Status Bill is concerned with access for disadvantaged groups to various services. Publicans and hoteliers have claimed this will lose them their right to "bar" undesirable customers.
While he acknowledged the Government's initiatives in setting up bodies such as the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities and the Task Force on Travellers, Mr Toolan said that groups representing the disadvantaged were increasingly concerned by vague promises to legislate "by the end of the year".
This formula had been repeated at least nine times by the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, in recent speeches, Mr Toolan said and "the `end of the year' promise is wearing thin".
Groups representing the disadvantaged were being told by politicians that they would have to answer the publicans' concerns. But politicians should be listening to women who meet discrimination on a daily basis, or people with disabilities, 70 per cent of whom were excluded from jobs.
Ms Anne Marie Gill of the National Women's Council said it was ironic that Ireland would have the EU presidency this year, but would also be the only member state which had not ratified the 1985 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Implementation of the two Bills would enable Ireland end this disgraceful situation.
The Minister had given a commitment last month to bring in legislation within six months, she said, and the council would be holding him to that commitment. None of those campaigning for equality wanted to face having to start over again if the Bills were not passed during the Government's lifetime which was due to end at the latest by November 1997.
The chairman of the liaison committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Joe Roe, said that any further delay was unacceptable. The delay indicated complacency towards those experiencing discrimination in Irish society.
The ICTU was particularly concerned at the prevailing level of discrimination in employment. "Existing employment legislation needs to be both strengthened and broadened to combat the widespread discrimination against women, people with disabilities and those experiencing discrimination by virtue of race, membership of the travelling community, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic status," he said.
The meeting was also addressed by members of the Irish Travellers' Movement, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, Irish Council for Civil Liberties and other groups.
A spokesman for the Department of Equality and Law Reform said later that the Employment Equality Bill would be published shortly after Easter and the Equal Status Bill in the autumn.