Equalities
The Employment Equality Act 1998 came into force on the 18th October 1999, and was amended on the 25th October 2004 by the Equality Act 2004.
The Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004, deal with discrimination within employment.
The Acts deal with discrimination related to any of the following nine grounds:
- gender
- marital status
- family status
- age
- race
- religion
- disability
- sexual orientation
- membership of the Traveller community
Most employment issues are dealt with by the Acts, including: dismissal, equal pay, harassment and sexual harassment, working conditions, promotion, access to employment etc. However, all disputes must relate to one or more of the nine grounds listed in the previous point (for example gender) (from The Equality Authority Ireland)
The Equality Acts in Ireland contain nine grounds. In the UK there are six equality strands. The content of the acts are almost identical. In the UK the Travelling community is covered by race and ethnicity. There is no specific mention of marital or family status in the UK acts but these would be covered by gender and sexual orientation..
For the purposes of Mental Health First Aid our interest is in the impact of difference and discrimination on mental health. Please read the Manual pages 147 - 152 for a fuller explanation.