The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has expressed its "serious concern" about the treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees and called on the Government to introduce measures to tackle racism.
In a letter to the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, the ICTU strongly criticised the current procedures for dealing with asylum applications, the rule preventing asylum-seekers from working, and the Government's failure to implement fully the 1996 Refugee Act.
However, in a reply received by Congress last month, the Minister brushed aside these criticisms. Ireland "fully lives up to its international obligations" on asylum. Allowing asylum-seekers to work would act as a significant "pull" factor on others wishing to come to Ireland, Mr O'Donoghue maintained.
The Minister said he had decided not to proceed with the implementation of the Act in its entirety at present. "When the number of applications began to increase last year, the reality was that the structures provided for in the Act would have been totally overwhelmed from day one had the Government gone ahead with its implementation."
New procedures put in place to process asylum cases were an "interim measure" Mr O'Donoghue said. These followed the philosophy of the Refugee Act and were put in place following "extensive consultation" with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In its letter, Congress said that even though numbers have increased in recent years, Ireland still has a "disproportionately small" share of the world's refugees. Congress believed the issue of asylum-seekers and refugees should be considered in the wider context of Ireland's responsibility to fulfil its obligations to the international community in the spirit of the Geneva Convention.
Mr O'Donoghue replied: "People entitled under international law to protection are given protection. Despite views to the contrary, we have a long and honourable tradition in this regard."
The ICTU also expressed concern about "adverse comment in some parts of the media and elsewhere" about the cost to the State of accommodating increased numbers of asylum-seekers. This was contributing to a climate of hostility which was fuelling racist attacks and harassment of refugees.
More than 5,000 asylum-seekers have come to Ireland in the last 12 months.
