Unison
Being a BAOT member means you also belong to Unison and can access support and advice on workplace issues at any time
Disability Employment Charter
There is a lot to be done . In January , just as Unison ’ s Year of the Disabled Workers began , the Westminster Government ’ s National Disability Strategy was ruled illegal by the High Court .
With over four million disabled people in work across the UK , only three out of 114 questions in the consultation asked about disabled people ’ s experiences at work . It ’ s almost like the government still doesn ’ t understand that disabled workers exist .
Unison found the same attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic , when government guidance initially failed to acknowledge that people who were shielding might also have a job .
In its ruling , the High Court stated that the government had failed to properly consult disabled people on its National Disability Strategy and it was therefore illegal .
The debacle of the consultation shows that an old-fashioned attitude toward disabled people is still rife across government .
If the government wants to properly address the needs of disabled workers , it should take notice of the ground-breaking Disability Employment Charter .
Unison is one of the founding members of the charter , which includes a call for a new legal duty on employers to respond to reasonable adjustments requests , which disabled workers are legally entitled to , within two weeks .
These adjustments could include speech-totext software , a British Sign Language interpreter or flexible working to allow a later start and finish . But current legislation makes it difficult for disabled workers to get justice when things go wrong .
Our survey of over 5,000 Unison disabled members – undertaken before the pandemic – found that a shocking 67 % had had some , or all , of the adjustments they needed refused . Many said that they didn ’ t even get a response to their request , but were just ignored .
Even where employers agreed to adjustments , 23 % of members said they waited a year or more for them to be put in place .
These are scandalous findings . Workers should not have to wait for adjustments they
are entitled to by law . Forcing them to do jobs in an unsafe and often painful way affects their performance and , in many cases , pushes workers out of the door .
By making 2022 the Year of Disabled Workers , and by promoting the Disability Employment Charter , we believe we can change attitudes and make work a better and fairer place for all disabled workers .
If you need help at work 0800 0857 857 or unison . org . uk
If you have a problem at work , BAOT / Unison is there to help
© skynesher via Getty Images
Anyone can face problems at work , but if you ’ re a member of BAOT , you don ’ t have to face them alone . Whether it ’ s about bullying , duty rotas , flexible working , annual leave or sickness procedures , a BAOT or Unison rep is on hand to help , wherever you work . We are also there to support in you case of disciplinary action , dismissal or redundancy .
June 2022 OTnews 55