Why we need equality legislation

Mitchel McLaughlin

Speaking at a weekend conference in the Hilton Hotel, Belfast titled "Fair Employment in Northern Ireland: a generation on" Sinn Féin National Chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin MLA pointed to the long and difficult struggle for equality in the Six Counties and called for radical action to complete the journey.

"An attitude is prevalent that the North of Ireland has a 'long and distinguished history' in the field of equality, that we are at the 'cutting edge' of fair employment legislation and 'innovative' in our practices," he said. "The reality is, of course, different and it should be remembered that every single piece of equality legislation was hard fought for, often in the face of indifference, intransigence and foot-dragging.

"A realistic approach to eradicating inequality must be taken. Yes, there has been some improvement but not enough. The problems have long been identified. We know that those who suffer from unemployment, particularly the long-term unemployed, suffer from multiple effects of poverty. We know that nationalists suffer disproportionate disadvantage across all the indicators. We know that there are pockets of unionist disadvantage which need tackled also. We know the location of the most disadvantaged areas and the subsequent strategic investment required to lift these areas. We know that the areas that suffered the greatest conflict suffer from the highest levels of poverty and inequality. Instead of pretending that the fair employment issue is resolved, it is high time to implement radical change.

"We need an improved Equality Commission, with more powers and resources and, crucially, the determination to use them. Sinn Féin, along with other organisations working in the equality field, has become increasingly concerned that the Equality Commission itself is becoming part of the institutional resistance to meaningful change.

"Sinn Féin wants to work with others, with the Equality Commission, with government departments, with the equality constituencies, to bring about a truly fair, more equal society. Yet we find ourselves increasingly frustrated by the institutional resistance to equality. Our frustrations and concerns are shared by many who work in this field. The key question lies around the effectiveness of the equality tools - the legislation, the Equality Commission, Equality Impact Assessments, etc — as a means of remedying inequality in our society."