- Conference
- 2008 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 22 February 2008
- Decision
- Carried
Disabled members are reporting a detrimental impact on their working conditions as a result of action arising from efficiency reviews; there is little evidence of employers meeting their legal responsibilities to undertake Disability Equality Impact Assessments when shared services or outsourcing are being contemplated. Branches should be aware of the wealth of arguments within the Disability Equality Impact Assessment to oppose outsourcing generally, and to oppose shared services proposals. Branches are also encouraged to view these Assessments as a tool for reducing demands upon activists to support individual representation cases and see them as a vehicle for eliminating institutional disability discrimination in the workplace.
Job relocation as a result of shared services has presented difficulties when members have tried to transfer their reasonable adjustments and Access to Work packages. Relocation packages are also not equality impact assessed particularly in relation to alternative transport arrangements as they are found to fail on considerations of accessibility and do not offer transferable, designated and reserved parking facilities.
Partnership schemes between local government and health also are not responding to the needs of disabled works who wish to take up opportunities on secondment arrangements as consideration of reasonable adjustments is omitted from procedures. Partnership schemes need particular attention to ensure that good Human Resource practice, regarding disability equality, continues in any new arrangements.
The interface between sickness absence, capability and disciplinary procedures continues to put disabled members at detriment and has been found to propel disabled members into unemployment despite the Disability Rights Commission’s advice to employers to have disability related leave policies in place to address disability related absences.
Outsourcing of home and day care services has reduced the employment conditions of local government workers, including of those workers who themselves are disabled people.
Local government employers persistently fail to provide time off work facilities for disabled members so that they can be included in employment relations dialogue; this is despite their legal responsibilities to “involve” disabled workers under the Disability Equality Duty. Employers are reportedly “cherry picking” disabled workers and allows institutional disability discrimination to be preserved in workplace policies and procedures
This Conference calls upon the Local Government Service Group to work with the National Disabled Members Committee to develop guidance for branches to:
1)Assist them in measuring the disability equality impact of efficiency reviews upon disabled people, and
2)To help them challenge proposals that have a detrimental affect on the terms and conditions of disabled local government members.