Disability,Reasonable Accommodation and the Employer's Obligations: Nano Nagle School v Daly

The duty on employers to provide reasonable accommodation is a well-established component of disability discrimination legislation, yet it continues to generate litigation in many jurisdictions. This article examines a recent decision of the Irish Supreme Court concerning the extent of the employer's obligations where, after having acquired an impairment, a worker is no longer able to perform all of the functions of her original job. The case also addressed the question of what procedures should be followed by an employer when considering the provision of reasonable accommodation, as well as the need for courts to justify awards of compensation. The issues in Irish law were intertwined with obligations arising from EU and international law instruments. Therefore, the decision is pertinent for other jurisdictions confronting similar challenges.     

Beyond European Labour Law? Reflections on the EU Racial Equality Directive

In June 2000, the Council adopted a directive forbidding discrimination on grounds of racial or ethnic origin in the areas of employment, social protection, education, goods and services, and housing. This is the first time the European Union has adopted binding legislation to combat racism. In this article, the Directive is placed within the context of European labour law, and its implications for the development of this area of law are considered. Specifically, it is proposed that a new category of European 'social law' is emerging, broader in scope than European 'labour law'. The Directive also reveals a new emphasis on effective enforcement of social law. Finally, this article considers the position of the Social Partners and non-governmental organisations in relation to the Directive. The prominence of NGOs is linked to wider trends in the wake of globalisation.     

Sudden death due to intravascular hemolysis after bladder irrigation with distilled water.

A 45-year-old white man was hospitalized with gross hematuria, one month after cystoscopy and biopsy for the same complaint. The biopsy revealed cystitis glandularis. One day after admission, he developed seizures and died within hours. Autopsy, laboratory tests, and further questioning of the hospital staff showed that he died of acute hyponatremia and massive intravascular hemolysis after irrigating the bladder with sterile water. Two deep bladder ulcers with exposed veins served as the portals of entry. Until now, this fatal complication had been described only during transurethral surgery. Both a careful autopsy and hospital investigation is necessary to differentiate in-hospital natural death from iatrogenic fatality.     

Resolving the contradictions of modernity and modernism

He is the author, among other books, of The End of Ideology; The Coming of Post-Industrial Society; The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism;and The Social Sciences Since World War Two.This is the first of a two-part essay on Modernity and Modernism. An enlarged version, with reference citations and text emendations in footnotes, will be published later this year by Transaction.