Dublin Bus has been praised by the head of the Equality Authority for its efforts to promote equality and foster diversity among its staff.
Mr Niall Crowley said the company, which has employees from 44 countries, provided valuable leadership for other businesses.
He was speaking at the publication yesterday of Dublin Bus's Equality and Diversity Action Plan 2003-2006, in which the company commits itself to promoting equality in its recruitment and selection policies and providing a workplace in which cultural and other differences are respected.
Nine per cent of Dublin Bus's 3,300 employees were born outside Ireland. The action plan sets out areas which will be the focus of the company's equality and diversity programme in the next three years.
These include recruitment and selection policies, positive action measures, work-life balance, cultural diversity and disability policies and training.
Dublin Bus's managing director, Dr Alan Westwell, said the company was "endeavouring to go beyond our basic compliance with national legislation towards best practice for racial equality."
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, said Dublin Bus was a "pace-setter" as one of the small number of enterprises which had undertaken equality reviews and action plans.