A former special adviser to the Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, has been appointed SIPTU's national equality secretary. Ms Rosheen Callendar, an economist and expert on social welfare and tax, was appointed to the new post this week.
Ms Callendar has worked for SIPTU and one of its forerunners, the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, since 1973. She took leave of absence to work as an adviser to Mr De Rossa between January 1995 and June 1997, when he was minister for social welfare. She was involved in several major policy initiatives, including the National Anti-Poverty Strategy, the Commission on the Family and the National Pensions Policy Initiative.
She is currently a member of the Pensions Board, the Foundation for Fiscal Studies and the Basic Income Working Group, which was set up by the social partners under Partnership 2000.
SIPTU has had an equality officer since its foundation. Ms Noirin Greene was Ms Callendar's predecessor. She is now working for the MSF union.
The post has now been expanded to co-ordinate all union activity involving discrimination and low pay. Ms Callendar's title of national equality secretary denotes that the post will be on a par with the union's other senior officials operating immediately below the three general officers.
Yesterday, she said the appointment showed SIPTU recognised "that economic boom and employment growth do not automatically bring equity and equality".
"Indeed, they often add to the problems of poverty, inequality and social exclusion."
She saw her role as challenging barriers to equality within SIPTU as well as outside. She said the early implementation of a national minimum wage and the new employment equality legislation would be among her priorities.