Employee Equality Acts 1998-2004



Employee Equality Acts 1998-2004

The purpose of the Employment Equality act 1998 is to promote equality in the workplace and to outlaw discremination in work related areas such as pay, vocational training, access to employment , work experience and promotion

The purpose of the equality act 2004 is to implement the E.U. Directives which requires all member states to prohibit discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of gender , racial, or ethnic origin, religion ,disability age and or sexual orientation in relation to employment and operational and vocational training. The 2004 act makes a number of adments to the 1998 Act and they are collectively known as the Employment Equality Act s 1998 and 2004.

Aspects of employment that are covered include:

Advertising

Equal pay

Access to employment

Vocational training and work experience

Terms and conditions of employment

Promotion or re-grading

Classification of posts

Dismissal

Collective agreements.

The Acts apply to:

Full-time, part-time and temporary employees

Public and private sector employment

Vocational training bodies

Employment agencies

Trade unions, professional and trade bodies.

The Acts also extend to:

The self-employed

Partnerships

People employed in another person’s home.

The Equality Authority:

The Equality Authority is an independent body set up under the Employment Equality Acts. The Equality Authority’s mission is to remain “committed to realising positive change in the situation of those experiencing inequality by promoting and defending the rights established in the equality legislation and by providing leadership in:

Building a commitment to addressing equality issues in practice,

To creating a wider awareness of equality issues,

Celebrating the diversity in Irish society,

Maintaining equality considerations across all sections.

In doing so, the authority may advise and represent claimants in the referral of cases to the Equality Tribunal, and become involved in appointing advisory committees to advise on matters relating to equality. The board reports to the Minister each year regarding the authority’s activities.

The Acts outlaw discrimination in relation to nine specific grounds, this is outlined in chapter two.



Discrimination

The Acts prohibit an employer from discriminating against any employee or applicant for employment on any of the following nine grounds:-

Gender (which includes maternity leave or pregnancy)

Marital status

Family status

Sexual orientation

Religious belief

Age (Applies to those aged over 16 years, subject to certain exemptions)

Disability

Race (refers to race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origin)

Membership of the Traveller Community

1.Direct Discrimination

For the purposes of the Acts, discrimination shall be taken to occur where a person is treated less favourably than another person is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation on any of the nine discriminatory grounds