NI equality commission accused of ignoring Protestants
26-02-2007
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has accused the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland of a failure to promote employment opportunities for Protestant employees within the public sector, Personneltoday.com reports.
Gregory Campbell, East Londonderry Assembly candidate, said: "The Equality Commission has been failing in its duty to introduce robust measures in the public sector so that the Protestant community can see equality of opportunity at work."
Mr Campbell also made a point of Ulster's "brain drain" phenomenon wherein undergraduates - especially those with a Protestant background - leave Northern Ireland for university but do not come back.
He added: "In virtually every major area where there is Catholic under-representation the situation is improving, while in the public sector, where most people are employed, Protestant under-representation is not."
In response to the claims, a spokesman for the Commission told Personneltoday: "The commission fulfils its responsibilities in this regard diligently and impartially and addresses problems of under-representation affecting either community to ensure the highest standards of fairness and equality in the workplace."
Commission figures show that Northern Ireland's workforce constitutes an estimated 57 per cent Protestants and 43 per cent Roman Catholics.
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