Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

Tá sé stairiúil go bhfuil Dáil Éireann ag glacadh inniu le Bille a ordaíonn nach féidir le heagraíocht chreidimh nó eagraíocht faoi stiúradh nó faoi smacht eagraíochta creidimh leatrom a dhéanamh ar aon duine atá nó a d'fhéadfadh a bheith fostaithe i seirbhísí a eagraíonn na heagraíochtaí seo, ina measc institiúidí oideachais nó institiúidí sláinte, mar shampla agus an leatrom seo ar bhonn inscne, stádais pósta, stádais clainne, chlaonta gnéis, chreidimh, aoise, ballraíochta sa Lucht Siúil, chumais nó chine. Is é seo atá i gceist sa Bhille um Chomhionannas (Leasú) 2015 in ainmneacha na dTeachtaí Ruth Coppinger, Pól Ó Murchú agus mé féin.

Ba mhór an faoiseamh ar fad é do haeracha, do leispiacha, do déghnéasaigh, do thrasghnéasaí agus aitigh, lucht ALDTA, nuair a d'éirigh leis an reifreann um chomhionnanas pósta ar 22 Bealtaine agus ba mhór an cás cheiliúrtha don tsochaí i gcoitinne é gur chuir tromlach mór na ndaoine deireadh leis an deighilt idir dhaoine ó thaobh cearta pósta de ach téann an turas seo i bhfad níos sia fós, i bhfad thar bhruacha na ceiste féin. Rinne muintir na tíre seo ráiteas fíorchumhachtach seo a fuair macalla ar fud an domhain mór agus beidh an macalla sin le cloisint i bhfad ón lá inniu. Gheal toradh an reifrinn croíthe mhionlaigh a bhí ag fulaingt leatroim agus gheal sé spiorad an-chuid daoine thar sin sa tír seo chomh maith ach fágtar fós iarsmaí láidre den leatrom ar mhionlaigh ar bhonn chlaonadh gnéis, chreidimh, stíl marachtála agus ar chúpla bonn eile. Is é sin le rá gur féidir, de réir dlí, daoine aeracha nó andiachaithe a bhriseadh óna bpostanna, rud atá ceadaithe ag an Acht chomhionnanais 1998. Ciallaíonn sé seo go bhfuil daoine ag marachtáil faoi scáth, faoi scanradh agus faoi strios, má oibríonn siad d'eagraíochtaí chreidimh, mar shampla, i scoileanna nó in ospidéil atá faoi úinéaracht eaglaise, agus faoi úinéireacht na heaglaise Caitlicigh go speisialta.

Teastaíonn uainne muinín agus síochán aigne a bhronnadh ar na daoine seo agus dá bhrí sin, táimid ag éileamh ar an Rialtas go dtógfaí an Bhille seo agus go gcuirfí trí na céimeanna cuí é, i dtreo is go mbeadh sé i bhfeidhm sa bhfómhar, gan a thuilleadh ama a chailleadh. Rud eile a théann go croí na faidbhe seo ná scaradh Eaglaise agus Stáit agus an ceart atá ag gach duine ar shaoirse chreidimh. Tá sé sin thar a bheith tábhachtach. Nuair atá sé sin cinntithe, agus nuair atá creideamh scartha ó sholáthar seirbhísí poiblí cosúil le hoideachais agus seirbhísí sláinte, teastaíonn leasú Bunreachta uainn chomh maith. Ba cheart go mbeadh Bunreacht ar bhonn sóisialach againn, a thabharfadh comhionnanas amach is amach i gcúrsaí sóisialta agus i gcúrsaí eacnamaíochta chomh maith. Ach is tosú tábhachtach é seo.

The tabling of the Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2015 last night and tonight is a declaration of the great step forward taken when a large majority voted for marriage equality for gay people. It is a declaration that it must be taken forward to end all discrimination against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or otherwise members of the queer community and against people who are atheists. We have a glaring anomaly that gay people have equality in marriage but not in employment, given that religious organisations or institutions such as schools or hospitals owned and managed by them can discriminate against people on the grounds that they might be deemed to be in breach of the ethos informing those organisations by virtue of being gay, atheist or having a lifestyle that might be deemed to be in breach. The Bill would end this situation.

We welcome the fact that the Government will not oppose the Bill and we exhort that it be put through the remaining Stages and be made into law. We urge that this be the Bill that is taken forward given that the Labour Party Bill in the Seanad would, unfortunately, allow a continuation of discrimination in some fields, as my colleague, Deputy Paul Murphy will explain.

Atheist teachers or non-believers could be discriminated against in some of the legislative measures that have been proposed over the past year.

Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998 would be irrelevant if religious organisations did not control important public services such as health and education in this State. Some 96% of primary schools and 52% of secondary schools are under religious control or direction. That has a major impact on workers' rights by virtue of this legislation. We are an increasingly diverse and secular society. In Dublin West, 23% of our constituents are not Irish citizens and 26% are not Catholics. People with no religion are a growing demographic. We fully respect the right of every human being to practise the religion of his or her choice and to have full freedom of religious belief but there must not be religious control over education, health and other crucial services. They should be democratically run and funded to cater for the needs of our people. Religion should be a matter of personal choice and conviction rather than something endorsed, assisted or hindered by the State.

We need fundamental changes if we are to deliver the fullest human rights to all our people irrespective of their gender, sexual orientation or other characteristics. We also need economic equality. This is at the root of many other inequalities in our society. While financial capitalism dominates our world, we will not have equality. The struggle for equality in the social, religious and other levels of life is linked to the struggle for a society where our economy and wealth are freed from the grasping hands of greedy minorities in corporate entities and financial markets. The democratisation and socialisation of wealth would provide real equality and allow every human being to develop to his or her full potential and live the happiest possible life.

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