Affirmative Action
The Order permits employers to undertake affirmative action "to secure fair participation in employment by members of the Protestant, or members of the Roman Catholic, community in Northern Ireland by means including: -
- the adoption of practices aimed at encouraging such participation; and
- the modification or abandonment of practices that have or may have the effect of restricting or discouraging such participation".
The affirmative action provisions allowed by the Order include -
- the encouragement of applications for employment or training for people from under-represented groups;
- targeting training in a particular area or at a particular class of person;
- the negotiation of agreed redundancy schemes to preserve fair participation;
- the provision of training for non-employees of a particular religious belief- following approval by the Equality Commission;
- the recruitment of unemployed persons.
