Annual Report 2000.pdf (size 2.3 MB) - Equality Authority

Family Friendly Workplace Day
Launch - Left to right: Mr.Tom
Kitt T.D., Minister of State at the
Department of Enterprise,Trade
and Employment; Peter Cassels,
General Secretary of ICTU; Kate
Hayes, Chair, the Equality
Authority;Turlough O’Sullivan,
Director General of IBEC; Niall
Crowley, CEO, the Equality
Authority
Key Objective 2
E) Equal Opportunities Framework Committee
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness committed the Social
Partners to establish an initiative to support enterprises to take practical
action on the new equality agenda established in the Employment
Equality Act. The Equality Authority had convened a committee to realise
this commitment. The Committee involves the Irish Congress of Trade
Unions, Irish Business and Employers Confederation, Department of
Finance, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health Service
Employers Agency, Local Government Management Services Board and
the Equal Opportunities Network.
The approach being adopted by the Committee involves three strands:
To serve as a channel of communication about new equality initiatives
and to encourage participation by enterprises in these initiatives;
To develop practical supports to assist enterprises in their focus on
equality;
To convene clusters of enterprises to develop practical enterprise
based equality initiatives.
F) Family Friendly Initiatives
In June 2000 "Investing in People," a study of Family Friendly work
policies in small and medium size enterprises was launched.The research
for the publication was funded by the European Social Fund through the
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.A working group
comprising representatives of I.C.T.U., I.B.E.C., S.F.A., I.S.M.E. and the
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of
Enterprise,Trade and Employment and the National College of Ireland
assisted the work.The publication of this study received considerable
media attention.The publication and a summary version were widely
distributed by the Equality Authority, with the co-operation of the
organisations which assisted the project.
Key Objective 2 - Annual Report 2000 - The Equality Authority page 51