An Oireachtas committee has recommended that the public service adopts specific hiring targets for Travellers along with an examination of recruitment campaigns to ensure they don’t discourage Travellers from applying for public service posts.

The joint committee looking into issues affecting the Traveller community said there was a need for a national Traveller employment plan, with positive action measures for recruiting Travellers into the public sector.

The report also recommends that cultural awareness and anti-racism training should be mandatory for all staff working in employment activation and support. This would improve access to employment, help uphold the dignity of Travellers, and help ensure that they are not exposed to racist or discriminatory language.

Fórsa official Lisa Connell was part of an ICTU delegate that presented evidence to the committee. The unions called for measures to deliver decent employment opportunities for the Traveller community.

Lisa emphasised the protective measures that are in place across the public service, and outlined how they could be applied in relation to the Traveller community. She said robust grievance and disciplinary policies and other measures could be effective in protecting against discrimination.

“This means the public service is an important sector for members of the Traveller community to find employment where these measures would act to ensure against discrimination. Equally, the public service would provide decent employment opportunities with decent pay and promotional pathways.

“This is a particularly important point in the context of Traveller employment as we need to broaden the conversation past employment and ensure that Travellers have access to not only employment but importantly to decent employment,” she said.

Fórsa welcomed the positive recommendations of the Oireachtas committee report and called for them to be implemented.