Call for firms to record all incidents of sectarianism

Published on Monday 23 November 2009 21:58

FIRMS should be legally required to monitor sectarian incidents at work, a report said yesterday.

There should also be "clear guidance" on not dismissing prejudiced comments as workplace banter or humour, said the report, commissioned by the STUC. It found "real progress" has been made in reducing sectarianism, but it remains a force in the Scottish workplace.

The report, by Professor Gerry Flinn, Fatima Uygun and Andrew Johnson at Strathclyde University, considered the case of leading QC Donald Findlay, who resigned as deputy chairman of Rangers Football Club after being secretly filmed singing The Billy Boys following victory over Celtic to win the Scottish Cup in 1999.

The song contains the phrase "Up to our knees in Fenian blood", and the report quotes from a focus group discussion of the episode which took place at a private party. The report said: "But among the victorious Rangers players attending that night were those whose religion would usually make them suitable targets for the description of Fenian.

"Even if that had not been the case, the argument that the collective expression of offensive comments directed against others, and which have been found to be publicly unacceptable, becomes acceptable because it is a private social event, cannot be sustained.

"Indeed, this is a dangerous line of argument to pursue: it legitimates the maintenance and rehearsal of prejudicial views as long as their expression takes place among those who have self-categorised themselves as like-minded."

Another example quoted was said to have taken place in the last five years in a well-off area where a house was on fire.

"The house-owner refused to allow all personnel of the fire service to enter because he did not allow Catholics in his house," the paper stated. "The leading fire officer in attendance, who was a Protestant, insisted that unless all of his crew were allowed to enter, no-one would go in to extinguish the fire."

Researchers called for the development of clear anti-sectarian policies, for employers and unions to work together, and for workforces to be actively involved. They also called for firms to have guidelines on how sectarianism should be reported and the penalties that will apply.

The research report was funded by the Scottish Government and the Sense over Sectarianism campaign.