Sir, - Some Catholic bishops: have expressed concern regarding the Employment Equality legislation and its potential effect on the ethos of religious run schools. George O'Callaghan, general secretary of the Secretariat of Secondary Schools, eloquently stated a similar case recently on behalf of school managers in religious based schools. As a result, these groups expect the Government, under the proposed Section 37 (1) of the Employment Equality Bill, to exempt "institutions under the direction or control of a body established for religious purposes from some terms of the Bill.
I wish them well. However, even if they are successful in achieving exemptions, there are many institutions in the country, including some schools, which have not been established for religious purposes, but which have their own specific ethos which they want to uphold. Such an ethos is often mediated by the people they employ. The Bill appears to pose a threat to the in dependence of such institutions, especially in their capacity to seek to employ people of good character. In particular, organisations dealing with children will have their work cut out as measures used to protect children could be deemed as discriminatory behaviour under the Bill.
In a free society an organisation, with a specifically determined ethos, if it is to be able to maintain its cohesion, must have a right to discriminate against those whose publicised beliefs, actions or lifestyles would openly run counter to that ethos.
The Bill is an extension of State power over the hiring of employ in private institutions and firms. As an anti discriminatory measure it has as its natural corollary, the application of quotas. It beggars belief that discussion on the Bill has gone so far without a whimper from conservative thinking within Fine Gael or from the Opposition benches.
In the Letters Page (January 16th) Dr Rory O'Hanlon pointed out that "it is Fianna Fail's job in Opposition to ... put forward constructive alternatives, and people expect that of us". They do, Dr O'Hanlon, they most certainly do. - Yours, etc.,
Amiens Street,
Dublin 1.