Thanks for reading, and for sharing.

Government and public bodies must address weaknesses in legal protections, fully implement the National Action Plan Against Racism 2023, and rigorously apply the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty to protect workers and service users alike. 

www.ictu.ie/publications...

The findings highlight the urgent need for unions to prioritise anti-racism initiatives, improve diversity and inclusion, and adopt a comprehensive approach that includes awareness training, policy enforcement, and a commitment to fostering workplace inclusivity.

The study examines the challenges of making or supporting complaints about racial discrimination or harassment, the experiences of advocating for non-discrimination in the workplace, and the role of trade unions in addressing racial discrimination in the future.

Furthermore, the 15-year gap since the last National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR) has allowed persistent exploitation and systemic barriers to flourish, highlighting the need for both union and governmental action.

While trade unions have made efforts to support workers experiencing discrimination, their effectiveness is often limited by insufficient expertise on racial discrimination, insufficient resources, poor reporting mechanisms, and limited diversity within union leadership.

Reporting discrimination is often checked by the precarious nature of many jobs, the sensitive nature of incidents, ineffective complaints processes, and fear of victimisation, including demotion, social isolation, or job loss.

Union members from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds in Ireland and Northern Ireland frequently experience both direct and indirect racial discrimination, ranging from overt racism and racial slurs to subtle microaggressions and exclusionary practices.

You can see our previous reports for FRA at lucymichael.ie/publications

In 2024 our FRA reports covered:
Protecting civil society
Violence against persons with disabilities in institutions
Mapping national human rights structures
Anti-Muslim Hatred
Political participation of disabled people
Threats to democracy
Mis/disinformation
Violence against women EU Charter use

Our 2025 projects for FRA to date include:
Rule of Law
Protections for Victims of Online Fraud
Implementation of the Law Enforcement Directive
Asylum, borders and migration updates
Law enforcement access to Data
Illegal and harmful content online
& EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation