Irish Equity has assured members that the union will support them should they have any concerns regarding their treatment in the workplace, following the recent media coverage of sexual assault and harassment in the film industry.

Irish Equity Organiser, Karan O Loughlin, said: “Bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment, is just not acceptable. Workers in the creative industries deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Irish Equity will continue to challenge those in the industry who abuse their position.

“From information collected in a survey conducted by Irish Equity in 2016 we know that the vast majority of members experiencing or witnessing this kind of behaviour do not report it because they fear losing work. This culture of not reporting is a long standing problem in the industry that created the original precarious workers. Sexual harassment, bullying or any kind of harassment is unacceptable, it must stop now and the perpetrators of such behavior should be outed and challenged.”

Irish Equity President, Padraig Murray, said: “Members should be reassured that they can talk to the union in complete confidence. We are experienced in dealing directly with these issues and will act, without fear or favour on behalf of members who have experienced inappropriate behavior at work. I would encourage any member who has a concern about these issues, to please contact by phone at 01 858 6403 or email equity@siptu.ie.”

Irish Equity has expressed disappointment with the announcement by TV3, today (Wednesday, 30^th August), that it intends to postpone the production of a fourth series of the popular drama show Red Rock.

Irish Equity Organiser, Karan O Loughlin, said: “The cast of Red Rock are extremely disappointed at this situation. The development of this show was a good initiative by TV3 to which the cast were very committed. All the indicators for the show were very positive. It has very good viewing figures on TV3 as well as being popular on the BBC and Amazon. The show has acquired a solid fan base, a fact obvious from the numbers who have taken to the Red Rock Facebook page to express their disappointment at the decision.

“The cast needs to be congratulated for its commitment to the creation of such a high quality and popular show and remains committed to rounding off the current season for its fans. This is a good production and Irish Equity members call on TV3 and any other interested parties to reconsider the decision to postpone it.”

Irish Equity President, Padraig Murray, said: “The loss of this production is a blow to the TV industry in Ireland. We have an abundance of talented and experienced cast and crew but there are just not enough TV productions to reflect this.

“The Government needs to take a serious look at how it is promoting and developing indigenous TV production in the Republic of Ireland, particularly in light of Britain’s exit from the EU meaning we cannot be overly reliant on incoming productions. We must have adequate funding and plans for indigenous TV production if we are to effectively use the talent and resources available.”

SIPTU has called for women to become organised in their unions so that effective action can be taken to overcome the gender pay gap which Eurostat figures published on International Women’s Day (Wednesday, 8^th March) indicate is still prevalent throughout the economy.

SIPTU National Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Karan O Loughlin, said: “Despite making up over 46% of the workforce in the EU women in general are still earning less than their male counterparts. On average women are earning 84 cent for every €1 earned by male workers. This is even worse in the arts sector where women on average earn as little as 77 cent for every €1 earned by their male colleagues.

“The Eurostat figures confirm that in general the gender pay gap is lower in the public sector as pay agreements, arrived at by collective bargaining, provide better protection for women against pay discrimination. Collective bargaining coverage is much lower in the private sector and as a result the gender pay gap is more pronounced.

“There are various reasons for the existence and size of a gender pay gap such as the preponderance of women in low pay jobs, as well as the negative consequences of career breaks or part-time work due to childbearing. The lack of affordable and accessible childcare in Ireland is a huge barrier to equality of opportunity and equality of outcome for women.”

She added: “It is a shame to say that the top three issues of concern for women in work in Ireland, which were highlighted in the Royal Commission on Labour Report of 1894, of child care, low pay and the length of the working day, are still very live issues today. It is well past time for all the stakeholders in society to reflect on this and to consider how we can deal with the continuing existence of systematic inequality for women.

“Organisations need to look at their own practices and pay for women workers. Gender audits and pay audits should be carried out to identify where women are positioned and to establish if there is a gender pay gap in existence. However, most importantly women workers need to organise themselves in to trade unions to collectively deal with the gender pay gap and inequality in the workplace.”