Members of the Roma community have lost jobs and experienced exploitation at work after employers found out their ethnicity, according to new research.
The work, published on Monday, found second generation Roma who had been born or raised in the Republic fared better than their parents when it came to discrimination.
The research, undertaken by Maynooth University and Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, interviewed 23 people from the Roma community about their experiences at work.
People reported being stigmatised as shoplifters and many instances of poor treatment at work, including cases where they lost jobs after their employer found out they were Roma.
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Another common theme was where members of the community were exploited at work and paid significantly less than the hours worked. The research highlighted one case where a young Roma individual was paid for only 40 of 60 hours of work.
Participants said it was more difficult for women to hide their ethnicity at work, where traditional dress was a feature of their culture.
The research included accounts of participants telling colleagues they were from the Czech Republic, for fear they would be discriminated against if their workplace knew they were Roma.
One individual told the researchers: “I always will have to try to hide my ethnicity because society is not nice to my people.”
Another Roma who spoke to researchers described being suspected by colleagues when an item of stock was stolen. “I was the main suspect all because it is a stereotype for my people,” they said.
Others described being “afraid” of what would happen if their employer or colleagues discovered they were Roma.
Younger Roma spoke about difficulties growing up in the Republic, due to the stigma faced by their community. “The amount of time my mom was thrown out of a store and refused service because they all thought she was a stealing Romanian gypsy,” one told researchers.
It is estimated there are about 5,000 members of the Roma community living in the Republic.
Dr Ciara Bradley, Maynooth University lead researcher, said those interviewed described it being easier to find and keep employment when they were not identifiable as Roma.
Vanessa Paszkowska, Roma peer researcher, said the work showed “some improvements for young Roma who like me were born or raised in Ireland”, but this was not the case across the board.
“Where families experienced unemployment, poverty and racism and where educational opportunities could not be accessed there were limited opportunities for young people,” she said.
