• 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 / Employment / Unions call for government action on ‘criminal’ disability pay gap
Four people on a panel, next to a BSL signer. A few meaningless words on the screen above them, but the hashtag is #TUCDisabledWorkers

Unions call for government action on ‘criminal’ disability pay gap

By John Pring on 13th July 2023 Category: Employment

Listen

Unions have called for government action to address the “absolutely criminal” pay gap between disabled and non-disabled employees.

New TUC figures were released this week ahead of the first in-person TUC Disabled Workers Conference since the start of the pandemic.

Dave Allan, co-chair of the TUC disabled workers’ committee, told the conference in Bournemouth that the figures showed a 17.2 per cent gap between how much disabled and non-disabled people earn in a year – which was £3,700 less a year, or £2.05 less an hour – which he said was “absolutely criminal”.

Disabled women earn more than £7,000 a year less than non-disabled men.

Allan said: “It is time for employers to be forced to do better. They must face a legal duty to publish their disability pay gap.

“They must face fines for failure to implement reasonable adjustments.

“This Tory government has failed us time and time again. They have shown us that they have no respect for the lives of disabled people.

“We have more to do than ever to fight for justice for disabled people.”

About seven in 10 (69 per cent) disabled employees earn less than £15 an hour, according to the figures.

The TUC analysis finds that disabled people are much more likely than non-disabled peers to be paid less than £15 per hour, with half of non-disabled employees (50 per cent) earning less than £15 per hour, compared to seven in 10 (69 per cent) disabled employees.

In some parts of the country, the figures are even worse.

In the north-east (92 per cent) and Wales (94 per cent), more than nine in 10 disabled employees earn less than £15 an hour, compared to around two in five non-disabled workers (37 per cent in the north-east and 42 per cent in Wales).

The TUC has called on ministers to introduce a legal requirement for employers to report regularly on their disability pay gaps, and fines for employers that fail to deliver disabled workers’ legal right to reasonable adjustments.

Paul Nowak, the TUC’s general secretary, told the conference yesterday (Wednesday): “As trade unionists, we are clear that fighting for disability equality cannot be left to disabled workers alone.

“It’s the responsibility of all of us in the trade union movement.”

He said earlier in the week: “Disabled workers are struggling to make ends meet in this cost-of-living crisis, with rocketing bills and soaring inflation.

“Every worker deserves a decent job on decent pay. Being disabled should not mean you’re paid any less or are stuck on worse terms and conditions.

“The government has done very little so far to support disabled workers.

“It’s time for ministers to increase the minimum wage to £15 per hour as soon as possible and put an end to insecure work by banning zero hours contracts.

“And they must also introduce mandatory disability pay gap reporting to shine a light on inequality at work.

“Without this, millions of disabled people face a future of lower pay and in-work poverty.”

Picture: Dave Allan (second from left) on a panel later in the conference

 

A note from the editor:

Please consider making a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of DNS and allow it to continue producing independent, carefully-researched news stories that focus on the lives and rights of disabled people and their user-led organisations.

Please do not contribute if you cannot afford to do so, and please note that DNS is not a charity. It is run and owned by disabled journalist John Pring and has been from its launch in April 2009.

Thank you for anything you can do to support the work of DNS…

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on Reddit

Tags: disability discrimination Disability pay gap TUC TUC disabled workers TUC disabled workers’ committee

Related

Disabled politician sues Lib Dems over discrimination that left her suicidal
14th September 2023
Autistic man to receive £20,000 from NHS after refusal of job interview adjustments
7th September 2023
Telegraph articles ‘legitimise’ hate speech, disabled activists tell TUC conference
13th July 2023

Primary Sidebar

Access

Latest Stories

Anger over Labour’s ‘shameful’ silence on universal credit’s ‘deadly faults’

Activists welcome decision to reassess status of UK’s ‘pathetic’ human rights watchdog

Disabled HGV driver accuses ‘back to work’ ministers of hypocrisy over equality laws

‘Warrior’ disabled mum takes crucial step in ‘justice for Jodey’ fight

Disabled students told their access needs are ‘a nuisance’, survey finds

Music festival operator signs legal agreement after multiple access failings

Disabled people ‘must rediscover appetite for fighting oppression’

Ministers push ahead with ‘highly damaging’ plans on ‘fit for work’ assessment

DWP told to release ‘worst case scenario’ report on impact of errors on claimants

Flawed universal credit means government’s plans for sanctions ‘are inexplicable’

Advice and Information

Readspeaker

Footer

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

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

Copyright © 2023 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web