ANGLAIS DEVOIR 1 BTS 1A

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by discrimination? What is considered unfair treatment? What can employees in the U.S. do if they feel they’re victims? What is affirmative action?

Protected categories such as ethnic minorities, women, gays and particularly people with disabilities are concerned by discrimination. Employees can file accusations of discrimination charges to the EEOC who study the case then pass it on to the federal court if they feel the charges are justified. Affirmative action requires organizations, particularly in the public sector, to hire a certain quota of protected categories.

How do employers and employees differ on the accusations of discrimination charges filed to the Commission?

Employers believe that discrimination has decreased because the number of cases filed to the Commission settled in Federal courts went down in 2010 from 314 to 271. They also claim that workers file complaints because they are upset about being terminated, but that discrimination isn’t actually the cause. They say some workers file complaints if they fear being laid off to make it more difficult for the employer to do so. On the contrary, minorities and protected-category employees feel they are victims of discrimination, and that the high unemployment rate enables employers to be more selective, and so they make choices based on hidden prejudices. Driscoll doesn’t deny that some of the discrimination charges are unwarranted. On the other hand, she insists that there is a rise in prejudice linked to the economy which is not an unusual phenomenon.

What factors contribute to prejudice? What do you consider decent working conditions?

Prejudice can have various causes but it usually stems from fear and ignorance. In times of economic crisis people are more anxious and fearful of losing their jobs. They worry that foreigners who accept lower wages or ethnic groups who succeed conspicuously well may take their jobs. This fear leads to prejudice, to caricatural misrepresentations of ethnic groups and can take on dangerous proportions as was the case in WWII. There is also a fear of different habits and customs. Long-established homogenous cultures with long-standing traditions are often disturbed by the arrival of masses of immigrants from foreign cultures. They are fearful not only for their jobs, but for their traditions, language, religion, habits, and in some cases of genetic mixing.

While, to a certain extent it is understandable the host countries want to preserve their culture, language and customs, waves of immigrants can be problematic if there’re not enough jobs or places to accommodate them.

On the other hand, it often reflects the ignorance of the inhabitants of the host country, because the arrival of new blood is culturally and genetically enriching, the newcomers are a source of energy as they immigrate for a better life and are a stimulus to business. They can bring new talents and skills, a different perspective and ways of doing things. Last but not least they often do jobs that the locals refuse to do.

Concerning gays, prejudice stems mainly from distaste for their difference.

Concerning women, it can be linked to the traditional belief that they are less intelligent than men, or that their place is in the home. While such ideas still exist in many countries of the world, in developed countries they are increasingly rare. On the other hand, many employers fear women will take too much time off for maternity leave and their children, therefore they prefer to hire men who are willing to spend more time focused on the job.

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Finally, concerning people with disabilities: we often fear they won’t be up to doing the job, which is also irrational. A handicapped person often develops other skills and is motivated to invest a lot of energy to compensate. The examples are endless: Steven Hawking, a Nobel Prize winner of physics, is totally paralyzed. Among autists, many are brilliant thinkers or engineers. The winter Olympics for the handicapped show that people without some limbs can have incredible athletic abilities.

Just as people ranked as “able” have a wide range of skills and qualities, among people with disabilities there is a lot of diversity. Depending on their capabilities, and skills, some are more suited for intellectual jobs, others for physical or manual tasks. They should be entitled to have a job like everyone else.

Decent working conditions respect human rights and the international labor laws. Workers should not be underage. They should have specific, clear contracts, receive fair wages, be treated with respect, not be victims of discrimination or abuse or overworked. They should be paid for doing overtime, have breaks and sufficient days off to ensure good mental and physical health which makes them do a better job and be more productive. Ideally, if they are laid off, companies should help them find other jobs or retrain them to improve their chances of finding