A balanced approach to immigration needs to be adopted to avoid sensationalising it, Minister for Integration Conor Lenihan said today.
Mr Lenihan was speaking at the launch of a new action strategy to support integration in the workplace
“We must ensure that members of our society are not subjected to discriminatory or xenophobic treatment,” he said.
“We can not afford to become complacent about the integration processes especially in these difficult times."
Refering to the latest CSO figures which show there were 207,351 Irish nationals and 44,600 non-Irish nationals on the Live Register in October, Mr Lenihan said: "These statistics show that job losses and unemployment is a reality of life facing both Irish nationals and the non-Irish national population resident here."
The new action strategy, which will receive funding from the Office of the Minister for Integration and the Equality Authority, includes a range of initiatives to assist employers and trade unions to respond effectively to the challenges of having a culturally diverse workforce.
Announcing the strategy this afternoon, Mr Lenihan said that integration “is a dynamic process of mutual accommodation which affects everyone irrespective of their nationality”.
The plan aims to support workplace integration by supporting employees from all walks of life to work without discrimination or harassment.
It is also aimed at developing workplace policies, procedures and practices to ensure that they adequately take into account and adjust for cultural and linguistic diversity within the workplace.
“The thrust of the principles underpinning our integration strategy is that services to migrants should be made available to migrants by the mainstream service providers,” said Mr Lenihan.
“The initiatives being launched today are designed to assist employers and trade unions to respond to challenges of a culturally diverse workforce and to create integrated workplaces to the mutual benefit of all concerned – employers, employees and all of our residents of all nationalities.”
