Workplace Diversity Strategy

The Office of the Minister for Integration provided funding for the Action Strategy for Integrated Workplaces, a follow-on programme to the Anti-Racist Workplace Week public awareness campaign that was run between 2000 and 2007. Mr Conor Lenihan T.D., Minister for Integration, launched the Action Strategy for Integrated Workplaces on 11 November 2008.

Congress Action

Congress received €40,000 for its action that had two distinct elements:

· training for trade union officials to enable them to support workplace diversity;
· A ‘challenge fund’ giving funding to individual trade unions to undertake actions to support integrated workplaces.

Training
· A five day training course was designed and piloted in January 2009. The aim of this training was to communicate to trade unions the benefits and challenges of integrated workplaces and to encourage them to become active on the issue. 41 trade union officials completed the training.

· This five day training was followed up by three stand alone seminars that focused on equality and diversity. These seminars focused on developing the case for being proactive on integrated workplaces within the trade union movement and also with employers.

Challenge Funds
· The aim of these challenge funds was to enable trade unions to implement a practical initiative to increase awareness and competency in the area of diversity and equality.

· A total of 8 challenge funds were awarded to different unions to undertake the following initiatives:

aa	i. Diversity training for shop stewards and officials;
aa	ii. Developing diversity audits and policies;
aa	iii. Developing training for trainers on the race ground;
aa	iv. Information for employees on diversity and discrimination in the workplace;
aa	v. Training for managing culturally diverse workplaces.

IBEC Action

IBEC received €80,000 for the following action:

· To set up a help-desk to answer queries from employers on managing diversity (in operation since November 2008);

· To disseminate the business case for diversity (being done through articles, a diversity newsletter and through a diversity and integrated workplaces webpage on the IBEC Employer Services webpage);

· To promote opportunities for networking between employers and for mentoring. IBEC organised 4 diversity network events for business, 'Diversity is no "Trivial Pursuit"', in Dublin on 6 May 2009, in Limerick on 26 May 2009, in Cork on 3 June 2009 and in Athlone on 18 June 2009;
· IBEC organised 3 diversity network events for business, 'Exchanges of Diversity', in Tralee on 3 November 2009, in Cork on 4 November 2009 and in Dublin on 5 November 2009;
· IBEC organised 1 diversity network event specifically for the health sector, 'Exchanges of Diversity' on 13 May 2009.

· To identify what companies are doing in relation to monitoring diversity and to develop a monitoring model (IBEC’s 2008 HRM Survey included questions on managing diversity and provided an overview of current practice regarding diversity management in Irish workplaces);

· To document good practice (a good practice guide, The Essential Guide to Diversity: How to Harness Business Diversity and Create an Integrated Workplace, which includes a template for monitoring diversity was published in November 2009).

Construction Industry Federation Action

Construction Industry Federation received €10,000 for tailored training for the construction sector. Some training was delivered in 2008 but the severe impact on the sector of the economic downturn made it difficult for the action to be completed.

Assessment of initiative

IBEC’s action has successfully raised awareness among employers of the benefits of integrated workplaces and has provided good practice tools and materials for employers on this issue. In addition, it has enabled IBEC to establish a support structure for employers to enable them to respond to potential problems in managing workplace diversity. As such, it has served a preventative function by providing employers with good advice that should reduce instances of potential litigation or workplace conflict.

Congress’s action has developed capacity and goodwill among trades unions to act as champions of workplace diversity. The incentive of developing and running actions in support of workplace diversity has motivated trades unions to play a proactive role in reducing inter-ethnic workplace tensions. This role is particularly important at a time of reduced resources when the competition for scarcer resources can lead to inter-ethnic workplace conflict with consequent loss of productivity, lower business output and potentially claims of discrimination.

The Equality Authority has begun to implement the Workplace Diversity Initiative, a follow-up project to the Action Strategy for Integrated Workplaces. It has begun work with Congress and IBEC on this project. The Office of the Minister for Integration is providing €70,000 for this project.

The new initiative has 3 elements:

IBEC is being funded:

· To continue to operate a ‘help-desk’ for employers to give them practical supports in dealing with the challenges of managing workplace diversity;
· To organise networking and mentoring opportunities for employers;
· To disseminate information on good practice in promoting integrated workplaces.

After a competitive process whereby all interested Chambers bid for funding, Ennis and Limerick Chambers have been selected to organise diversity seminars for their member businesses. Chambers Ireland has also been selected to organise a diversity seminar at national level for its members.

These seminars took place in November 2010.

Congress is being funded to run a ‘Challenge Fund’ for trade unions to undertake specific actions in support of workplace diversity. Congress has selected the IBOA, Unite, SIPTU-Mandate, Communication Workers' Union and the INMO to undertake diversity champions actions as part of the Diversity Challenge Fund that it is operating with this funding. As a result, both private and public sector workers in a range of sectors will be involved in this initiative.

The initiative will run until December 2011.










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