Wednesday 30 March 2011

Racism and Galway Taxi Industry

late last year, our colleague Dr Vinodh Jaichand prepared a report on racism in the taxi industry in Galway. At the launch held at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, taxi drivers testified eloquently about how they had been 'dismissed for being African'.
Last week, the Irish Times (22 March 2011) reported that seven taxi drivers of African origin were each awarded €6,349 against a Galway taxi firm, Abby/Eco Taxis, for discrimination on the grounds of race when they were told they could not become shareholders in the company, despite an earlier offer and having worked with it for some time.
The Sunday Times had a larger report which corroborates the Centre’s findings in that report: 'In a ruling published last week, James Kelly, an equality officer, said he was awarding the maximum “in light of the unlawful and blatant overt policy of discrimination inflicted upon the complainants”.'
Thanks to Vinodh Jaichand.

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