MOVES are under way to defuse objections to controversial Government legislation on employment equality after Democratic Left backbencher Ms Kathleen Lynch threatened to table her own amendments.
Efforts to avoid an embarrassing dispute will be made early next week when programme managers representing Democratic Left and the Minister for Equality and Law Reform discuss ways of amending part of the Employment Equity Bill which is said to be causing "deep concern" within the Coalition's smallest party.
The Bill, introduced by Mr Taylor in July, is designed to prohibit discrimination in the workplace on a broad range of grounds, including disability, race, colour, age, sex and religion. However, a sub section in the 70 section Bill would allow employers in a denominational school or religious run hospital or institution to refuse to employ people if this, was proven essential to maintain their religious ethos.
Democratic Left claims the Bill, in its present form, would open the way for discrimination against workers in religious run schools and hospitals. Ms Lynch told yesterday's meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Social Affairs that she felt it necessary to give notice of her intention to table amendments "to show the depth of concern which there is about certain aspects of this Bill".
"I believe it is unacceptable to give legal sanction to certain institutions to discriminate without adequate checks and balances. As legislators, we represent the electorate and the taxpayers who support publicly funded institutions," Ms Lynch said.
Mr Taylor described as "surprising" Ms Lynch's comments that she intended to table amendments unless the outstanding issues have been resolved in the interim. Sources said he indicated her remarks were at variance with what her Democratic Left ministerial colleagues had agreed in Cabinet.
A spokesman for Mr Taylor last night said the Minister was examining "a range of aspects in relation to the Bill" and would meet the INTO and the ASTI as well as church bodies. He wanted to "explore whether consensus could be reached in improving the Bill, and, these contacts are continuing
Meanwhile, the Progressives Democrats' spokeswoman on equality and law reform, Ms Helen Keogh, last night described Ms Lynch's statement as "an extraordinary turn of events".
"The Employment Equality Bill was passed in its entirety at Cabinet recently, a Cabinet which accommodates two of deputy Lynch's party colleagues. It is completely unacceptable that Democratic Left will accept only the aspects of Government which it finds palatable or politically acceptable.