Action needed for level playing field at work

JOHN Halligan probably did not need any help to keep his one man shock-and-awe show on the political stage. Indeed, he was doing so well one imagined that the Junior Minister’s ability to astonish, stump and confound, was peerless. Then along came his brother, Brendan. The comments of the other Mr Halligan – who acts as his brother’s election agent – have drawn a fire-storm on a career already in ashes.

Brendan Halligan’s coruscating attack on a Workplace Relations Commission decision to award €7,500 to a senior female civil servant who was discriminated against in a job interview could hardly have been more crass, sexist or hurtful. Even if blinded by fraternal loyalty, this was chauvinistic and utterly damaging to all women who merely want to be treated equally, as is their moral and legal right, in the workplace.

After a ham-fisted apology, the Junior Minister had entertained a slender hope to put this furore behind him. Then his brother struck with another lightning bolt.

He argued the WRC ruling was prompted by what he described as a “claims culture” in Ireland, and went on to insist that while he was not “minimalising” the woman’s experience, he added: “What I call distress and trauma is a woman or a girl who has been raped. And she makes a decision that she wants to go and have an abortion and she can’t do it because the supports aren’t in this country to do it.”

To introduce a scale of relativity to mitigate an acknowledged violation is another slap in the face for the victim. Nor did he feel that his brother should foot the bill for his discriminatory remarks.

John Halligan is responsible for making sure that the workplace is a level playing pitch and that men and women are treated equally.

We know that they are not, the question is at what point are we prepared to do something about it?

In the last seven days in Britain, we saw two senior Government members having to resign for conduct unbecoming a minister.

When can we expect senior politicians to take responsibility for behaviour appropriate to the 21st century and leave patriarchal mores where they belong, in the cave?