The Australian http://www.news.com.au/ Recruitment agency claims bosses bypass discrimination laws By PENELOPE GREEN 8sep99 EMPLOYERS are openly flouting anti-discrimination laws by using recruitment firms to hand-pick workers from preferred backgrounds, a leading recruitment agency claimed yesterday. The peak industry group representing recruitment agencies conceded a problem exists with breaches of anti-discrimination laws, but denied the practice was widespread. The managing director of Robert Half International, Phil Davis, claimed Australian businesses, including small firms and large reputable companies, were exploiting a loophole in anti-discrimination legislation by asking recruitment agencies to "do their dirty work". Mr Davis said employers were side-stepping anti-discrimination laws by informally or directly asking recruitment firms to bypass potential employees on the basis of race, sex or nationality. In one case, a well-known industrial transport company refused to interview a potential employee nominated for a job by RHI because the candidate was of an ethnic minority. Recruitment agencies are confined by anti-discrimination laws when advertising for jobs, however it is up to their ethical practices in determining whether to follow the instructions of clients. Mr Davis said he was blowing the whistle on the recruitment industry in an attempt to stimulate debate about the "widespread" problem, because it was unlikely new legislation could address the issue. "Not every recruitment company is engaging in this type of practice, but the problem is widespread," he said. "It is making it a lot harder for workers - if you are from an ethnic minority or over 40, it's undoubtedly more of a challenge to find secure work." Mr Davis said recruitment agencies were torn between winning lucrative contracts by accepting the discriminatory requests of employers, and taking the "moral high ground" and refusing to co-operate. "It comes down to individual recruitment companies and consultants making a moral or ethical judgment call which . . . is not something they may do if there is a commercial benefit to giving the client what they want," he said. The peak Recruitment & Consulting Services Association welcomed debate on the issue. But president Geoff Slade said he was "sceptical" of Mr Davis's concerns, as well as his motives, for raising the issue in the media. "I wonder about the validity of the argument in terms of (Robert Half International) going to the press on an issue which it has never raised with the industry as a way of encouraging debate," he said. Mr Slade rejected Mr Davis's claims that breaches of anti-discrimination laws were widespread, but confirmed discrimination against older workers was a big problem. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
