The DUP is demanding an investigation into employment practices at Belfast's
Royal Group of Hospitals as figures show that almost 96% of security
and cleaning staff are Catholic.
Almost 93% of catering staff are Catholic, according to the
statistics disclosed by NIO minister Angela Smith in response to a DUP
question in the House of Commons.
However, Catholics are seriously under-represented among the Royal's dental
(16%) and medical (32%) staff.
Protestants made up just over a quarter of administrative and secretarial
staff and under a fifth of cooks in the Royal. DUP Assembly member, Diane
Dodds, said: "These are staggering statistics and raise questions for the
minister, the Royal Group of Hospitals, and the Equality Commission which is
supposed to monitor performance in relation to fair employment.
"There is clearly major difficulty within the Royal in recruiting
Protestants. The Royal is the largest employer in west Belfast and has a
duty under the legislation to provide equal opportunities for all.
"I can think of no other public employer that has allowed a practice to
arise where such an imbalance continues without affirmative action being
undertaken."
Ms Dodds urged the Royal to launch a recruitment drive in Protestant west
and south Belfast communities near the hospital, such as the Shankill,
Springmartin, the Donegall Road and the Village. Job advertisements should
be placed in local newspapers in these districts before they appeared in the
national press.
Ms Dodds also said it was unacceptable that while Sinn Féin councillor Tom
Hartley was a non-executive board member at the Royal, no equivalent
appointment had been made from the unionist community.
