Equality

Conference notes that in the context of delicate economic recovery, Ireland North and South is struggling to maximise the life opportunities of all citizens, leading to deeper inequality and growing social division, with women disproportionately  impacted upon. Public services are an important form of social solidarity and source of social cohesion, but with policy choices hamstrung by a massive debt burden, which costs  almost‚¬8 billion a year to service, the fiscal freedom available to government to advance important public goods like childcare is limited. Conference calls on  any incoming government to move towards a social investment model that would equip people with the skills necessary to participate fully in the labour market  and ensure good quality jobs. The concept of investment is important because it is predicated on equipping people with the skills and public goods to allow high levels of labour force participation in well paid, high productivity jobs. In this way a tax base capable of funding such social investment can be sustained. Such a model could help to ensure a society where inequality of income and discrimination could be tackled by: 1. The adequate resourcing of our Equality infrastructure including:. . A Workplace Relations Commission that ensures that any worker who has been sexually harassed, sacked because of their race, or bullied because of their sexuality can bring a case without fear of being priced out of justice. . The newly formed Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is adequately resourced to work strategically with civil society, trade unions and employers on workplace rights and can take action on the under-reporting of discrimination, and the implementation of the new public sector duty. 2. The provision of publically funded affordable, quality Childcare. 3. A Family Leaves system that promotes the best care for children and allows parents real opportunities to reconcile work and family life. 4. An adequately resourced Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People With Disabilities. In Northern Ireland, Conference notes that savage cuts to the public sector will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs and vital public services. Job losses will impact disproportionally on women as they make up two thirds of the public sector. Cuts to public services across health and education will further marginalise already vulnerable communities driving people deeper into poverty. Conference supports the Congress Campaign against Austerity and calls on the Northern Ireland Executive to equality impact assess the budget cuts across all nine protected grounds. Conference deplores recent attempts to undermine equality legislation through a proposed conscience clause which would interfere in the rights and freedoms of LGB persons not to face discrimination in their everyday lives. Conference further calls on the NI Executive to publish, without delay, the long awaited Anti-Poverty Strategy as well as the Sexual Orientation Strategy and urges the NI Executive to properly resource other equality strategies including the Gender, Racial Equality and Disability strategies. Conference calls on the British and Irish governments to honour the commitments made in the Good Friday Peace Agreement to protect the equality and human rights of all citizens through the publication of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and a charter of Rights for the Republic of Ireland. Adopted as Amended

Executive Council