Mr. David Joyce:

I am pleased to take up this invitation, with my colleague Ms Lisa Connell, to discuss with members the topic of Traveller employment and labour market participation, having regard to the unemployment rate of 80% among Travellers. Of course, this figure is quoted from prior to the pandemic, so we do not really know what impact that will have on the Traveller community. Due to an absence of ethnic equality monitoring in the collection of employment data, the rate of unemployment among Travellers post Covid is not known at this stage.

As Government supports people back into employment post the pandemic, it is imperative there are positive action measures which ensure that Travellers, and other under-represented groups in the labour market, are not left behind. We sent in a written submission earlier this year and it outlined a history of standing by and supporting Travellers and Traveller organisations in our movement. I do not intend to go over that today because of time constraints. We stated in our submission that, welcome as it is, the recognition of Traveller ethnicity alone will not deal with the 80% unemployment rate, a statistic underpinned by a range of issues affecting Traveller participation in the labour market. Factors such as severe educational disadvantage, inequality and discrimination in the workplace all contribute to this situation. It is clear that rights must follow, and that an institutionalised policy response is needed to address all of these issues.

We went on to outline the policy framework, including the national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy, and the shortcomings and limitations of the strategy, in respect of both its programme and targets relating to Traveller employment enterprise. We have also participated in the St. Stephen's Green Trust Traveller enterprise and employment policy programme and believe the project has had a significant input in that the findings relating to employment are a lasting legacy for this work and include areas such as the need for national strategies underpinning growth, recovery, employment and enterprise to name Travellers as a target group; strong encouragement of the incorporation of the census question on ethnicity into the work of all statutory bodies; positive action measures to increase supports for Travellers into enterprise and employment; consultation with Traveller organisations, which is key to developing appropriate and accessible programmes; and the need for all measures to include monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks which capture the impact on Travellers. Positive action measures should also be gender-proofed in respect of Traveller women. Lessons from the public sector duty and the diversity and inclusion strategy of the Public Appointments Service could be used to model changes being sought in the private sector.

We also believe investment in workplace integration can help to make our workplaces effective role models for wider society. As Dr. McGann mentioned, in 2006, in the context of the national action plan on racism, we worked with the Equality Authority and other partners to develop the concept of the integrated workplace. By that I mean workplaces that are free from discrimination and harassment; that are welcoming to all migrant workers and other black and minority ethnic groups, including Traveller employees and customers or service users; that acknowledge and provide for cultural and linguistic diversity among employees and customers as well as making adjustments for diversity among all employees; that take practical steps, including workplace anti-racism training, in order to achieve full equality in practice for all workers and employees; and that communicate a message promoting greater equality within the wider culturally diverse community served by the enterprise. It is timely now that, along with IBEC and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, we are seeking to revive some of this work in the hope of contributing towards securing better employment outcomes for excluded groups, including Travellers. Our general secretary, Patricia King, also participates in the anti-racism committee that will make recommendations to the Government later this year on how best to strengthen its approach to tackling racism. The anti-racism committee's work will culminate in a new draft national action plan against racism for consideration by the Government.

As all this renewed focus comes about, it is worth mentioning - and I know the committee discussed this in its previous session - the publication of the research titled "Travellers in the Mainstream Labour Market: Situation, Experience, and Identity", which explores the experiences of Travellers who, despite the many barriers, have successfully negotiated a pathway into mainstream employment. The research findings are in three areas, namely getting work-ready, getting into employment and experiences in development and progression while in work. We read with interest the committee's engagement with two of the authors of the research, Rachel Mullen and Niall Crowley, at a previous session and note the barriers that were identified at that meeting, including people not being comfortable with being open about their ethnic identity in the workplace and not being afforded opportunities to progress as well as the fact that many felt this was directly because of their Traveller identity.

The research also reinforces the critical need for Travellers to be named in mainstream labour market policies and the fact that the key policy in this regard would be the new pathways to work strategy being developed in the Department of Social Protection. Underpinning the policy strategy should be the more effective implementation of the public sector equality and human rights duty. We also agree that systemic work experience programmes across the public sector that involve internships specifically targeting groups that are very distanced from the labour market would be very useful. The last recommendation, involving the importance of guidance and supports for employers and trade unions, is an acknowledgment of our role to play in employment pathways for the Traveller community. One of the key elements emerging from the research was the importance of workplace cultures that allowed people to reconcile work and family life, which is crucial for access, particularly for Traveller women but also, interestingly, for men in the Traveller community. We have been working to ensure the effective transposition of the EU work-life balance directive, advocating for workers' rights to request flexible working arrangements and generally trying to make improvements in that area. The personal accounts in the report will, it is hoped, inform the development of policy and actions to address the challenges experienced by Travellers. We in the trade union movement will not be found wanting in continuing our work with the Traveller community to achieve better outcomes.

I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak.