DISCRIMINATION:THE GOVERNMENT was yesterday challenged by TUI president Bernie Ruane to immediately repeal a section of the Employment Equality Act which allows religious-run schools to give favourable treatment to prospective employees on religious grounds without being found to have discriminated.

Ms Ruane said she intended raising section 37(i) of the Employment Equality Act with Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn as the TUI considered it a “draconian” piece of legislation which “clearly discriminates against some of our citizens”.

“Many members view this as potentially threatening in view of their lifestyle or living circumstances – it is now time for this Government to make up its mind – either it thinks the citizens of this country should live in an equal, inclusive and just society or they should not,” she said.

Ms Ruane, in her first address as TUI president, raised the issue of teachers being forced to take a 20 per cent pay cut, which she said was being imposed on union members to repay the massive debts run up by developers. “Ordinary public service workers who pay taxes are being treated like criminals whilst bloated property developers and bankers who got this country into debt are treated like royalty,” she said.

She called on the Department of Finance to change the way it looks at education so that all spending in the sector, including salaries, is regarded as capital spending and investment in the future.

She said the union would prioritise the lifting of a moratorium on posts of responsibility, protection of pensions for retired members and protection for new members entering the profession.