Call to combat racism in workplace

Galway city marked Anti-Racist Workplace Week yesterday with a call to employers to monitor negative attitudes when recruiting new staff.

Ms Rachel Doyle of the National Traveller Women's Forum suggested that recruitment procedures could include an evaluation of people's attitudes towards race and cultural difference in an effort to discourage racism in the workplace.

This could be initiated within the State sector initially, Ms Doyle said at a function hosted by Galway City Partnership on behalf of the Equality Authority.

Representatives of business, arts and the voluntary sector attended the function, which was addressed by Mr John Brennan, chief executive of IBEC West, Ms Lisa Fingleton of the Equality Authority and Mr Eddie Higgins of SIPTU.

The week is part of a joint initiative between the Equality Authority, IBEC, ICTU and the Construction Industry Federation to combat racism in the workplace.

Marking the publication of a resource pack drawn up by the four organisations, Ms Fingleton said racism demanded more than leadership to combat it.

It demanded practical action from everyone, and several initiatives had already been taken to raise awareness as part of commitments made by the social partners in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.

Mr Olaboda Oloko, a Nigerian asylum-seeker in Galway who played music at yesterday's function, said he was a qualified Microsoft systems engineer and had undertaken further training since he arrived in Ireland.

However, when he had approached various companies offering to do voluntary work, he had experienced a negative response.

Ms Fingleton said the authority had received many similar reports. It was important that asylum-seekers made contact with the authority's legal unit, through its Lo Call phone number, to transmit their concerns.

Mr John Brennan said there was nothing like legislation to concentrate minds, and many managers would not have been aware of sexual harassment six or seven years ago. Now it was part of legislation, and he was confident there would be greater awareness about racism in time.

Mr Paul McGuirk of the Galway City Partnership said the aim of the function was to act as a catalyst, and spread the word among employers and employees in Galway city.

The Galway City Partnership comprises community representatives, statutory agencies and the social partners, and aims to tackle disadvantage through support for communities.

It has a particular focus on the long-term unemployed and the socially excluded.

Supporting an Anti-Racist Workplace is available from the partnership in Galway, at (091) 773466, or through the Equality Authority at Clonmel Street, Dublin 2, tel (01) 4173333.

The Equality Authority's Lo Call number is 1890 245545 and it can be e-mailed at info@equality.ie