It is a striking coincidence that the sixth Irish Anti-Racist Workplace Week coincided with the second week of nightly riots in France by disaffected youth of mainly immigrant origin. Those events are a sobering reminder of what can go wrong if policies are not pursued to integrate immigrants into society and to ensure that they do not suffer disproportionately from exclusion and social deprivation.
The causes of the unrest in France have been widely rehearsed. What is indisputable is that the rate of unemployment is higher than the national average in outlying suburbs where high concentrations people of immigrant origin live, educational qualifications are lower and there is little attachment to the culture and values of mainstream French society. This is compounded by a deep mistrust and fear of the police which its members seem unwilling or unable to dispel.
In the Irish context, the latest joint initiative between the Equality Authority, the Department of Justice and various employers and trade union bodies reiterates what has been said before: special measures are necessary in the workplace to ensure that assumptions about members of ethnic minorities do not lead to discriminatory practices. The Labour Court has ruled already that non-national workers encounter special difficulties and that there is an obligation on employers to ensure that they know their rights and are not disadvantaged because of their culture.
It is easy to view such initiatives as worthy but largely irrelevant. However, such complacency is dangerous. If a member of an ethnic minority is deprived of overtime because the foreman believes an Irish worker needs it more; or a qualified immigrant is deprived of promotion because the qualifications of an Irish rival are more familiar to the manager; or another is subjected to casual derogatory remarks by workmates; not only they, but their families and friends, will nurture justifiable resentment that can fester and create a sense of grievance and a divided workforce. There is a heavy responsibility on both unions and employers to ensure that such things do not happen.
There is more to combating racism than ensuring best practice in the workplace. Recruiting non-nationals to the public service, especially to the Garda Síochána, is also essential as is ensuring that people are not effectively segregated in housing. In this regard, it is encouraging to note that some 10 per cent of recent applications to join the Garda came from members of ethnic minorities, including the Travelling community.