The Diversity of Diversity

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The Diversity of Diversity
A View from Northern Ireland
Anne BastenCentral Services Agency, Belfast
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Presentation Outline
(1) Social Cultural Contexts of Diversity
in Northern Ireland
(2) The Statutory Framework of Diversity in
Northern Ireland
(3) From Frameworks to Practices
(4) Pitfalls Risks of Underestimating the
Diversity of Diversity
(5) Not Just a Challenge for the RCN
(6) Not Just an Issue Between Countries
(7) Where to?
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Social Cultural Contexts of Diversity in
Northern Ireland (1)

• demographics
• key differences in the make-up of the
  population vis-à-vis England (ethnic,
  religious, age profile)

• history politics
• the diversity of identities
• a history of conflict (past and present?)

• geography
• the forces of segregation, neutrality and
  integration

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Social Cultural Contexts of Diversity in
Northern Ireland (2)

• awareness/perceptions
• flags emblems
• colours
• names

• understandings of diversity
• public perceptions
• the politics of diversity

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Social Cultural Contexts of Diversity in
Northern Ireland (3)
the diversity of understandings of diversity
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The Statutory Framework of Diversity in Northern
Ireland (1)

• key differences in anti-discrimination
  legislation
• Northern Ireland Regulations/Orders/Acts
• similar pieces of legislation but with key
  variations (e.g. sexual orientation legislation
  for access to goods/facilities/services)
• additional pieces of legislation (e.g.
  religion/politics legislation for employment
  access to goods/facilities/services)

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The Statutory Framework of Diversity in Northern
Ireland (2)

• Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998)
• key additional piece of equality legislation
• positive duty (promoting equality of
  opportunity good relations)
• comprehensive coverage (total of 9
  groupings/strands)
• introduces new statutory procedures
  (screening Equality Impact Assessments)
• applies only to public sector
• no legal redress

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The Statutory Framework of Diversity in Northern
Ireland (3)
the diversity of diversity legislation
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From Frameworks to Practices (1)

• neutral working environment
• Fair Employment Code of Practiceemployers
  should promote a good and harmonious working
  environment in which no worker feels under
  threat/intimidated because of his/her religious
  belief or political opinion e.g. prohibit the
  display of flags ()
• Section 75promote good relations

should staff be encouraged to express and discuss
their identities???
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From Frameworks to Practices (2)

• monitoring
• employers must report to Equality Commission
  on religion gender of workforce
• 20 years of monitoring duty - monitoring is not
  an alien concept to the public
• Section 75 requires monitoring along all 9
  strands
• recent expansion of employment monitoring
• service monitoring lags behind

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From Frameworks to Practices (3)
the diversity of practices of diversity
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Pitfalls of Underestimatingthe Diversity of
Diversity

• the corporate diversity agenda is too narrow

• the corporate diversity agenda is skewed

• services dont meet the needs of members

• resources are not expended in an optimum way

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Risks

• confusion

• frustration

negative impacts on (1) membership (2) ownership

• alienation

• isolation

• exclusion

• irritation

• offence

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Not Just a Challenge for the RCN
BBC journalists accused of London bias
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales 'ignored
(Owen Gibson, The Guardian, 12 June 2008)
A damning report commissioned by the BBC Trust
yesterday accused the corporation of failing
licence fee payers around the UK by reporting the
news through a London-centric prism. () The
trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons () warned that
the failure to serve audiences in Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland and to report issues
affecting them to the rest of the UK, could
ultimately undermine universal support for the
licence fee.
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() Lyons said it would become even more
important for the BBC to fulfil its charter
obligation to represent "the UK, its nations,
regions and communities". () of 136 reports on
health and education issues, none mentioned the
fact that they referred to England alone ()
during 50 editions of Panorama aired in 2007,
none made explicit reference to devolution the
same was true of 29 editions of Radio 4's File on
4. () Lyons added that the problem was about
"clarity, precision and the balance of reporting
from around the UK".
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() Richard Tait, a former ITN editor in chief
and now a BBC trustee, said he did not believe
the answer lay in structural change but in
greater awareness among BBC journalists. ()
Separate research carried out by the BBC Trust
last year found that the further away from London
people lived, the less they felt the BBC was
relevant to them.
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45 of people in Scotland feel BBC reports are
often not relevant to them. 36 of people in
England feel BBC reports are often not relevant
to where they live. 45 of people in the north
of England feel BBC news programmes do not relate
to them. 20 of people feel BBC coverage is of
interest "almost exclusively to posh people who
live in London" 83 feel it is important the
nations and regions are accurately represented to
the rest of the UK. Source BMRB Media
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Not Just an Issue between Countries

• also within countries
• e.g. between regions within England
• e.g. between areas within NI

• also within the sector
• e.g. NI Health Social Care
• e.g. NI Boards/Trusts/Agencies

centrism is a common phenomenon
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Where to ? (1)

• acknowledge and explore the diversity of
  diversity across and within countries/regions
• build on corporate commitment to connect
  communicate with members
• reference country/region-specific differences

• take full advantage of the diversity of
  diversity
• draw on learning from the margins
• diversity proofing of all decision-making
  processes

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Where to ? (2)

• trade union representation
• meeting the diverse needs of representatives
• developing and supporting representatives in
  meeting the diverse needs of members (case
  work policy work)
• developing and supporting members in meeting
  the diverse needs of patients