Employment

October 18, 2018 0

DWP faces nearly 60 disability discrimination tribunal cases in 20 months

The Employment Tribunal has dealt with almost 60 claims of disability discrimination taken against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by its own staff over a 20-month period, new research has shown. A database on the Employment Tribunal website shows that, since it began publishing its findings in February 2017, it has dealt

Employment

October 11, 2018 0

British Council tries to dodge Equality Act, after signing up to Disability Confident

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The government-funded organisation responsible for promoting the UK’s culture and education abroad is asking an employment tribunal to allow it to dodge its duty – under the Equality Act – not to discriminate against disabled people. The British Council is attempting to argue that English teacher Emily Frisby is not entitled to protection under

Employment

Five people sat behind a long table, one of them is talking

October 4, 2018 0

Tory party conference: Potential of assistive technology is ‘truly transformatory’

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Developments in assistive technology over the next few years have the potential to be “truly, truly transformatory” for disabled people, a fringe event at the Conservative party conference heard this week. Neil Heslop, chief executive of the disability charity Leonard Cheshire, who uses assistive technology himself, said that technology was “a massive force for

Employment

Esther McVey speaking in the House of Commons

September 20, 2018 0

New job stats raise questions over ministers’ boasts on disability employment

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New figures obtained by a disabled people’s organisation – after ministers refused to commission the work themselves – appear to show how the government relies on the growth in self-employment and part-time jobs to exaggerate its success in increasing disability employment. Ministers such as work and pensions secretary Esther McVey (pictured) have repeatedly boasted

Employment

David Buxton, signing, and Terry Riley give evidence to a House of Lords committee

August 23, 2018 0

Deaf boss forced to appeal for charity support after Access to Work court defeat

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A Deaf chief executive is having to appeal to charity to fund the support he needs to do his job, after the high court decided that a cap the government imposed on Access to Work (AtW) payments did not breach the Equality Act. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) set an annual cap

Employment

Sarah Newton speaking in the House of Commons

August 9, 2018 0

DWP refuses to pay £125 to discover number of disabled people in full-time jobs

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Ministers are refusing to commission work that would cost just £125 and would show how many disabled people are in full-time paid employment, and how that number has changed under successive Tory-led governments. Ministers, including the current work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, have repeatedly boasted of how their policies have led to an

Employment

Sarah Newton giving evidence to the committee as Esther McVey watches on beside her

July 12, 2018 0

Minister denies lying to MPs over Disability Confident history

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The minister for disabled people has denied lying to an influential committee of MPs about the government’s much-criticised disability employment scheme. Sarah Newton’s claims about Disability Confident were exposed yesterday (Wednesday) just as her boss, work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, was herself fighting off a Commons motion that would have censured her for

Employment

David Cameron launching Disability Confident

July 12, 2018 0

Disability Confident employers promise less than one job each on average

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Nearly 7,000 employers that signed up to the government’s much-criticised Disability Confident jobs scheme have promised to provide just 4,500 new jobs for disabled people between them, less than one per employer. The figures emerged as the minister for disabled people, Sarah Newton, and work and pensions secretary Esther McVey were giving evidence to

Employment

Declan McSweeney holding a notebook and pen, talking to Brian Cowen

July 5, 2018 0

Call for media action after news agency’s shorthand ‘discrimination’

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A disabled journalist is calling for action to address widespread discrimination in the media industry after a news agency told him he had not been interviewed for a job because he did not have a qualification in shorthand. Declan McSweeney has tried several times to apply for posts with Mercury Press in Liverpool –

Employment

A white car parked in the centre of two parking bays

June 21, 2018 0

‘Discrimination’ by DWP’s IT company ‘exposed disabled employee to months of abuse’

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A “Disability Confident” company owned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) subjected a disabled member of staff to repeated abuse from strangers after it refused for more than 15 months to make a simple alteration to his parking arrangements. It is now more than 15 months since wheelchair-user Jamie Shield reported to

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