Anti-Racist workplace week 2006
Anti-racist workplace Week took place from the 6th - 12th November 2006. Anti-Racist Workplace Week is an initiative involving 17 partners including: IBEC, Congress, Construction Industry Federation, Small Firms Association, Chambers of Commerce of Ireland, Irish Farmers Association and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This initiative is co-ordinated north and south by the Equality Authority and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
This year the partner organisations identified integration in the workplace as the core theme for the Anti- Racist Workplace Week. To celebrate the Equal Opportunities Office hosted a lunchtime lecture in the ESB head office conference centre on Thursday 9th November.
The Guest Speakers were Mr Chinedu Onyejelem, Editor and Publisher of the multicultural newspaper, Metro Eireann, and ESB/Rehab 'People of the Year' award winner and Mr Brian Merriman, Head of Communications, Equality Authority. Mr John Campion, Executive Director HR and Corporate Affairs, opened the talk by welcoming our guest speakers and said that it was fitting that ESB should support Anti-Racist Workplace Week as ESB have had a presence in over 80 countries and over 21 different nationalities are working in ESBI.
Mr Chinedu Onyejelem said how important it was to have government support and policies in place to help non-nationals integrate into the workplace. In general he felt that Irish people were positive to non-nationals but it was important that organisations played their part in supporting non-nationals contributing to the Irish economy.
Mr Brian Merriman said that this is the seventh year that Anti Racist Workplace Week has taken place and that it is gaining widespread support both north and south of the border. He spoke about how Irish society has undergone major changes in the last 10 years and how Ireland now depends on migrant workers to help support our booming economy.
John Campion closed off the lecture by thanking both speakers and the audience who turned up for the talk. He said that the large turnout showed the interest that people have in the whole area of cultural diversity.
