THE NEW APPROACH TO FAIR EMPLOYMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

A new anti‐discrimination law came into operation in Northern Ireland from the 1 January 1990. The Fair Employment (NI) Act 1989 supersedes most of the Fair Employment (Nl) Act 1976 and involves a radical departure by Government in the manner in which it tackles the issues of employment discrimination in Northern Ireland. This article describes the background and content of the new legislation. It explores some of the problems the legislation raises for management and examines the impact of the legislation in the field of employment discrimination.