The Employment Equality Agency has warned of a significant increase in bullying and sexual harassment incidences in the workplace, with the number of inquiries it handled last year jumping by 34 per cent.
The EEA chair, Ms Kay Hayes, said the substantial growth in the number of bullying and sexual harassment cases meant these incidents were now a daily occurrence in the Irish workplace. The agency received 411 inquiries last year, while research estimated that 40 per cent of workers experienced bullying during their working lives. This was totally unacceptable, she said.
However, under the Employment Equality Act, 1998, employers now had a greater legal obligation to stamp out bullying and harassment. "Workers have a right to their dignity at work," Ms Hayes said, and the Act would oblige employers to take all reasonable steps to ensure a harassment-free environment.
Sexual harassment represented the single largest category of complaints received by the EEA last year, accounting for 136 of the 531 relevant complaints, according to its annual report published yesterday. The EEA is expected to be replaced later this year by the Equality Authority which will have a greater remit.
Last year was the EEA's busiest year, with the number of inquiries dealt with up by 30 per cent, to 6,010. There was also a significant rise in the number of inquiries from outside the Dublin region, with non-Dublin cases accounting for 48 per cent of all queries.
Ms Hayes attributed the rise in the agency's workload to its success in informing the public of their rights under equality legislation, rather than a rise in the number of employers ignoring the law.
"In the case of the small employers, very often it is not badness, but just a lack of know ledge," she said. The EEA was available as a resource to those firms, to inform them of their legal responsibilities, she added.
However, an analysis of the agency's work confirms that women continue to be the major victims of equality discrimination, accounting for 95 per cent of queries. Women now comprised 40 per cent of the workforce, but continued to suffer gender discrimination, despite the existence of legislative protection for the last 25 years.
Ms Hayes noted that the average hourly earnings of female workers was just 73 per cent of male earnings and only 3 per cent of top executives were women. Part-time work continued to be dominated by women, and female representation was highest among clerical workers, shop assistants, bar staff and service workers.
"While public awareness of the concept of equal opportunities has improved over the years, individual incidences of discrimination and discriminatory attitudes still abound," she said.
Maternity and adoptive leave inquiries represent the single largest category of complaints last year, covering issues such as the deterioration of working conditions during pregnancy, maternity leave entitlements, time off for pre-natal care, health and safety implications and return-to-work issues.
The 102 complaints of pregnancy discrimination accounted for the second-largest category. Dealing with these cases was often a lengthy process, as they often involved sackings for spurious reasons, or a deterioration in working conditions when women returned to work, in an attempt to push them out, Ms Hayes said.
While just 5 per cent of complaints dealt with by the agency were from men, the EEA assistant chief executive, Mr Brian Merriman, said an increasing number of men were contacting them, particularly teenage and young men.
Examples of sexual discrimination against men included warnings that wearing ear rings was a sackable offence, while the practice was acceptable for female employees, he said. They had also dealt with complaints that bars or restaurants provided taxis home late at night for female employees, but refused to do so for male workers.
Another impediment to progress on equality and profitability was the lack of flexibility in work patterns, with a greater need for employers to strike the right balance between work and family life, according to the EEA.
A national childcare strategy remained a priority, as the lack of childcare support hindered the opportunity for women in the employment market, Ms Hayes said.
The Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ms Mary Wallace, who was presented with the 1998 report yesterday, said the provision of a national childcare strategy was a Government priority.
An inter-departmental committee on childcare was established in February to evaluate, cost and prioritise the proposals in four existing expert reports. It is due to report to the Government in the coming weeks. The Government would then consider a balanced package of measures to address the childcare issue, she said.