• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / News Archive / Remploy manager used disablist nickname

Remploy manager used disablist nickname

By guest on 31st October 2010 Category: News Archive

Listen

The failure of Remploy bosses to stop a senior manager referring to a member of staff by a disablist nickname showed the company’s “total lack of respect” for its disabled employees, according to a senior union official.

An employment tribunal heard that Brian Davies, a senior regional shop steward with the GMB union, had been called “Ironside” – after the television detective who also used a wheelchair.

The tribunal this week awarded Davies £6,000 compensation after ruling that he had been discriminated against under the Disability Discrimination Act by Remploy, which runs 54 sheltered factories and provides other employment services to disabled people.

Davies – who was awarded an MBE for his union work at Remploy and has worked for the company for 30 years – and the GMB had asked Remploy to stop the nickname being used at a factory in Burnley by both the factory manager and other employees, including disabled shop floor workers.

The factory manager was later moved to a different job at Remploy following internal disciplinary proceedings.

Phil Davies, the GMB’s national secretary, said senior Remploy managers allowed the use of the nickname to continue for two years and failed to tell their staff it was wrong to use the nickname.

Phil Davies said: “I think the result of this tribunal shows what the trade unions have been saying for the last 10 years – that there is a total lack of respect [for their disabled staff] from senior management.”

And he said the failure of senior managers to “comprehend how offensive it can be” to use such nicknames showed the need for disabled people to be running the company.

He added: “All the people that made the decisions and would not act in this case over a two-year period were non-disabled people.”

A Remploy spokesman said: “We concur with the tribunal’s findings. I would definitely dispute that there is a lack of respect for any employee. It was obviously a regrettable case and disciplinary action was taken against the person concerned.”

He declined to comment further, but added: “We do not want to get in a debate over this with the union. We accept the tribunal’s decision and apologise to Mr Davies.”

Remploy’s future is still in doubt after the government’s review of quangos last week postponed a decision on whether it would be scrapped.

19 October 2010

Share this post:

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on Reddit

Related

‘Muddled’ blue badge reforms ‘are to blame for renewal delays’
6th February 2015
UN debate will be reminder of true inclusive education
6th February 2015
IDS breaks pledge on PIP waiting-times, as tens of thousands still queue for months
30th January 2015

Primary Sidebar

Image shows a man wearing glasses sitting by an open laptop The text reads: Free Career Support for Disabled People Our services include: 1-2-1 Coaching Online Career Resources Find Support near you Search for Inclusive Jobs Career Events and Workshops Visit the Evenbreak Career Hive today to find out how we can help you

Access

Latest Stories

Fears over impact of DWP’s ‘horrific’ and ‘sinister’ anti-fraud plan

Ministerial duo dismiss concerns over social care funding crisis

Company linked to death of PIP claimant gives itself ‘seven or eight out of 10’

Public order bill will criminalise disabled protesters, says MP

Disabled woman pays hundreds in fines, after council refuses reasonable adjustments

Councils frequently fail to make reasonable adjustments, says ombudsman

Campaigners celebrate their Crossrail access win as line finally opens, eight years on

Grenfell: Call for action over government’s ‘deplorable’ decision on evacuation plans

‘Severely neglected’ man found dead, three months after DWP assessment

Government brands DNS ‘vexatious’ for trying to obtain info on 90 DWP deaths

Advice and Information

The Department for Work and Pensions: Deaths, cover-up, and a toxic 30-year legacy

Readspeaker

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web