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CIVIL SERVICE BANS ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION
THE civil service is to ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, becoming one of the first employers in the State to do so.
The move comes as part of a significant agreement on people with AIDS working in the civil service, drawn up by the Union of Professional and Technical Civil Servants (UPTCS).
The agreement states that "discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or medical condition (e.g. haemophilia) will not be tolerated in the Civil Service". It also says that "nothing in this policy statement is to be interpreted as constituting a waiver of management’s reponsability to maintain discipline or its right to take disciplinary measures under normal disciplinary procedures."
The backbone of the agreement is that civil servants who have AIDS or are HIV positive will be kept on "for as long as they can perform their duties to an acceptable standard." The normal sick leave regulations apply. This is normally six months on full pay followed by six months on half pay, after which there is a review.
The policy is being distributed to all civil servants as Circular 12/88. It also mentions that medical records must remain confidential. , A spokesman for the UPTCS, which negotiated the agreement, said they were having talks with An Post and Telecom Eireann about introducing the same policy.