DISABILITY EQUALITY DUTY – LOCAL ENFORCEMENT

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Conference
2007 National Disabled Members' Conference
Date
5 July 2007
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference agrees that since the Disability Equality Duty was placed upon public sector employers in December 2006, in many cases the application has been more wishful than realistic. We fear that public sector employers would rather pay lip service to the duty than actually deliver.

Conference having already affirmed in 2005 its support for local enforcement, believes that the time has arrived for progress to be made towards establishing a national network of local enforcement units.

Local enforcement of the Disability Equality Duty would be of great advantage to disabled employees who find that they have an unresolved grievance. This Conference’s aspiration is that a local enforcement unit would be granted legal authority to award compensation to a disabled employee where it finds their employer guilty of disability discrimination. We would also expect such an enforcer to have the power to fine an employer found guilty of disability discrimination.

We call upon the National Disabled Members’ Committee to campaign for local enforcement of the Disability Equality Duty by seeking the support of the UNISON National Executive Committee in lobbying the Commission for Equality and Human Rights and Parliament to bring about this much needed measure.