AN anti-racism body has hit out at pub and nightclub owners for the "demeaning" practice of employing black people as toilet tenants.
The tenants, who have become a feature of pubs, nightclubs and hotels around the country, distribute paper towels to customers and sell items such as aftershave and perfumes.
The National Consultative Committee against Racism in Ireland (NCCRI) said it was concerned about the message it was sending out.
"I would certainly feel that the whole process is demeaning, and I would be concerned about what sort of rates of pay are being offered, if no Irish people want to do the jobs," its director Phillip Watt said.
Most of the toilet tenants are paid a nominal fee by the owner of the premises and make the majority of their income from tips.
Mr Watt said he believed many people were embarrassed into giving money to the toilet tenants.
"To me, it's highly reminiscent of apartheid in South Africa and the USA before civil rights. I think nightclub owners might think of doing this in a more sensitive way and maybe redeploy the people in areas which are less demeaning," he said.
Zyklon B strikes me as being a natural piss-boy!
- Michael Brennan
Here
The substantive point would appear to be bogus: these are jobs Irish people supposedly "don't want". Obviously they must be poorly paid and Nigerians are willing to take them up. What's the problem? I remember (long ago) Irish people filled these positions, like many others that Irish people aren't apparently willing to do. The argument to let failed asylum seekers stay (amongst others) is that they are here "to fill jobs Irish people don't want". Yet the NCCRI don't think they should be employed in these positions because it sounds out "the wrong message". What is that? And if black people aren't to work there, who will fill these positions? What other jobs shouldn't black people not be expected to do? Who should be "demeaned" in their place? If they aren't willing to work these jobs, why bother giving failed Black asylum seekers "leave to remain" here, these are some of the only jobs they are qualified to do. Sorry, it's true.