The INOU is part of the Add the 10 th Alliance who are running an online campaign seeking to have socio-economic status recognised as the tenth ground of discrimination in Ireland’s equality legislation. In the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future , under the theme of ‘Equality’ the Government stated that “Equality between all citizens is a core guiding principle of our republic.” It is the INOU position that it is necessary to address socio-economic discrimination to fulfil this principle.
We are asking readers to join in this campaign by posting a photo of themselves with the jigsaw image, the missing piece of Ireland’s equality legislation, to social media using #addthe10th
Further information on the campaign is available linked here .
At present, people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are treated less favourably than other people - based on where they are from, their clothing, their accent or their source or level of income – have no way of addressing their negative experiences. Recognising socio-economic discrimination in Ireland’s equality legislation would provide people experiencing this type of discrimination with a way of seeking legal redress for their mistreatment.
In Our Shared Future the Governmentalso stated that they “will examine the introduction of a new ground of discrimination based on socio-economic disadvantaged status to the Employment Equality and Equal Status Acts.” In 2021 the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth initiated a review of Ireland’s equality legislation, into which the examination of incorporating socio-economic status was included. If you wish to read the INOU’s submission to this review it is linked here .
If you wish to sign the petition to Roderic O'Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to add Socio-Economic Discrimination as a tenth grounds it is linked here.