- Conference
- 2010 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 11 December 2009
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This Conference is concerned to learn from the Disabled Members Self Organised Group that inappropriate attendance management policies and lack of understanding about legal duties under the Disability Discrimination Act to provide reasonable adjustments by the employer is resulting in disability discrimination against disabled members. In particular we are concerned that discrimination is leading to dismissal of disabled employees in the health sector, when they are unable to do their job because of the failure to make reasonable adjustments. This is an intolerable solution during the current economic climate. We are also dismayed to learn that disabled members are being told to use their annual leave to meet medical or treatments appointments related to their impairments and use annual leave to enhance salary during phased return to work after a period of absence related to disability. Conference notes that disability does not constitute part of the mandatory training for accredited stewards.
We ask the Service Group Executive to issue guidance to health branches about health employers’ responsibility:
a)to make reasonable adjustments under the Disability Discrimination Act
b)to use equality impact assessments to eliminate systemic disability discrimination in accordance with their Disability Equality Duties.
c) to liaise with the training team on including training on tackling disability issues at the workplace which would be part of the mandatory course.
We also call on the Executive to mount a campaign to raise awareness to promote the UNISON model disability leave agreement as a reasonable adjustment and an alternative to punitive sickness management procedures.