Call for code to help politicians deal with foreign workers

A code of conduct should be introduced to ensure politicians deal sensitively with issues relating to EU citizens working in Ireland, a TD urged today.

Paul Gogarty, a Green Party TD, said it was clear statements made on the subject of EU workers had caused confusion among the public.

“Whatever the motivations of the statements themselves and the ensuing reportage, it is clear that these issues have the potential to cause confusion and suspicion in terms of the perceived impact of our fellow EU citizens and as such need to be dealt with sensitively and responsibly,” the Dublin Mid-West TD said.

In a personal statement, Mr Gogarty said the code of conduct was essential to ensure any racist tendencies among small pockets of the population were not fuelled into something more dangerous as shown by recent statements from a number of political parties over childcare and work permits.

Labour Party Leader Pat Rabbitte was last week accused in the Seanad of catering to people’s fears by raising the topic of work permits for immigrants seeking employment here.

Mr Gogarty said political parties had both a right and obligation to bring matters of public interest to the media’s attention.

“However cynical, populist, or sloppy use of language has the potential to cause serious harm to race relations. Not just the public’s perception of other EU citizens, but also in relation to other overseas nationals working in Ireland,” he said.

Mr Gogarty called for all parties to agree a code of conduct in relation to statements on matters surrounding EU citizens working in Ireland.

“Political parties need to draw up such a code, as a matter of urgency, before the election rush causes someone to utter something inflammatory that we will all live to regret,” he said.

“It would also be helpful if a joint statement were issued highlighting the contribution EU workers make to our economy, reiterating the commitment to simultaneously protect the pay and conditions of all workers in Ireland and reaffirming our shared objectives towards a more open and democratic Europe.”