THE MACBRIDE PRINCIPLES
...initiated, proposed, and launched by the
Irish National Caucus in November, 1984.
(1) Increasing the representation of individuals from under-represented
religious groups in the work force including managerial, supervisory, administrative,
clerical and technical jobs.
A work force that is severely unbalanced may indicate prima facie
that full equality of opportunity is not being afforded all segments
of the community in Northern Ireland. Each signatory to the MacBride Principles
must make every reasonable lawful effort to increase the representation
of under-represented religious groups at all levels of its operations in
Northern Ireland.
(2) Adequate security for the protection of minority employees both
at the work place and while travelling to and from work.
While total security can be guaranteed nowhere today in Northern Ireland,
each signatory to the MacBride Principles must make reasonable good faith
efforts to protect workers against intimidation and physical abuse at the
work place. Signatories must also make reasonable good faith efforts to
ensure that applicants are not deterred from seeking employment because
of fear for their personal safety at the work place or while travelling
to and from work.
(3) The banning of provocative religious or political emblems from
the work place.
Each signatory to the MacBride Principles must make reasonable good faith
efforts to prevent the display of provocative sectarian emblems at their
plants in Northern Ireland.
(4) All job openings should be advertised publicly and special recruitment
efforts made to attract applicants from under-represented religious groups.
Signatories to the MacBride Principles must exert special efforts to attract
employment applications from the sectarian community that is substantially
under-represented in the work force. This should not be construed to imply
a diminution of opportunity for other applicants.
(5) Layoff, recall and termination procedures should not in practice
favor a particular religious group. Each signatory to the MacBride Principles
must make reasonable good faith efforts to ensure that layoff, recall and
termination procedures do not penalize a particular religious group disproportionately.
Layoff and termination practices that involve seniority solely can result
in discrimination against a particular religious group if the bulk of employees
with greatest seniority are disproportionately from another religious group.
(6) The abolition of job reservations, apprenticeship restrictions
and differential employment criteria which discriminate on the basis of
religion.
Signatories to the MacBride Principles must make reasonable good faith efforts
to abolish all differential employment criteria whose effect is discrimination
on the basis of religion. For example, job reservations and apprenticeship
regulations that favor relatives of current or former employees can, in
practice, promote religious discrimination if the company's work force has
historically been disproportionately drawn from another religious group.
(7) The development of training programs that will prepare substantial
numbers of current minority employees for skilled jobs, including the expansion
of existing programs and the creation of new programs to train, upgrade
and improve the skills of minority employees.
This does not imply that such programs should not be open to all members
of the work force equally.
(8) The establishment of procedures to assess, identify and
actively recruit minority employees with potential for further advancement.
This section does not imply that such procedures should not apply to all
employees equally.
(9) The appointment of a senior management staff member to oversee
the company's affirmative action efforts and the setting up of timetables
to carry out affirmative action principles.
In addition to the above, each signatory to the MacBride Principles is required
to report annually to an independent monitoring agency on its progress in
the implementation of these Principles.
Information about our group can be obtained by posting a
message to:
Ireland32@gmu.edu
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