A SHARED society is a fundamental economic rationale as well as a matter of equality, according to the Employment Minister Dr Stephen Farry.
He was speaking at a recent event in Belfast co-hosted by Belfast City Council and The Rainbow Project, to examine the case for promoting equality and diversity in the workplace and discuss how to create an inclusive work-culture for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) employees.
The event was closely linked to the Department for Employment and Learning’s two year Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equality in Employment Project which was awarded to the Rainbow Project in November 2012.
The project aims to raise aware-ness among employers on the issues affecting those who are LGB in the workplace.
At the event, Minister Farry reiterated his commitment to the project: “I am very pleased to be funding this project to raise awareness of the issues affecting gay, lesbian and bi-sexual people in the workplace.
“I am committed to ensuring that the workplace is a safe and open place for people from all back-grounds to be who they are and to feel free from discrimination,” he said.
“This project is very much at the cutting edge of putting this vision into practice.
“In order to achieve the goal of a shared society, we must embrace diversity and ensure that there are no barriers to the full participation of people from all sections of the community in all aspects of their daily lives. But this is much more than a matter of equality. There is a fundamental economic rationale for doing so.
“Firstly, there are economic gains to be found from encouraging every person to develop to their full potential and to deploy their skills and talents to the full.
“Secondly, those societies that cherish diversity are the most successful in attracting and retaining talent. Therefore, I am pleased to see the business community embracing this initiative.”