Disabled people and members

Discrimination against disabled workers continues, and RMT is organising to oppose it

Report: TfL Diversity and Inclusion Trade Union Engagement meeting, 30 July 2019

RMT representatives: Janine Booth, Jamie Parry

Unite had three representatives at the meeting, PCS one. The other unions - TSSA, ASLEF and Prospect - were not represented.

 

‘Safety Moment’

We raised the issue of sexual harassment, especially on Night Tube. Management responded that the Mayor’s office (Michele Dix and Amy Lame) had drawn up a charter for women’s safety at night. The unions expressed alarm that we had not been consulted about this. Management agreed to arrange for our involvement.

Ballot to be prepared as LU managers 'attempt to unpick agreed reasonable adjustment'

Subject: DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION – LONDON UNDERGROUND

That we note the resolution from our Bakerloo Line Branch and agree that its not enough for the company to portray themselves as a progressive equal opportunities employer to staff and publicly, if they allow their junior managers to regularly attempt to unpick agreed reasonable working adjustments for our member; which will have a potential impact on all our disabled members of staff.

We instruct the General Secretary to take up the matter in-line with the resolution:

Report: TUC Disabled Workers' Committee, 17 July 2019

by Janine Booth, RMT nominee on TUC Disabled Workers' Committee

 

Disabled Workers’ Conference decisions

We considered how to best carry out the decisions of the TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference. We agreed that the most effective way to do this was by establishing working groups on various policy areas. Committee members volunteered to convene groups, and a circular will be sent out asking other Committee members to volunteer to join these groups.

NEC Equal Rights Sub-committee report to RMT Disabled Members' Advisory Committee, July 2019

7 resolutions were passed at the National Disabled Members’ Conference this year.  2 were selected to the AGM (Reasonable Adjustments and Mental Health Awareness) and the other 5 were considered by the NEC.

 

i. Personality Testing

“The conference notes that:

Report: RMT Disabled Members' Advisory Committee, 28 January 2019

Equal Rights Sub-committee Report

We welcomed Lee Rundle (National Executive member for the South West region) to the meeting. Lee told us about his experiences as a dyslexic member, as well as reporting on the National Executive's decisions on our resolutions from our meeting in November, which were:

Draft Plan of Activities: RMT Disabled Members' Advisory Committee

This plan was agreed unanimously by the Disabled Members’ Advisory Committee meeting, 28 January 2019, and will be considered by the union's National Executive in March.

 

‘Know Your Rights’ Campaign

We would like to run a campaign to advise disabled transport workers of their rights. This will encourage recruitment and active involvement in the union, and would include:

Disabled Workers - Know Your Rights!

Disabled? You have the right to:
  • not be discriminated against
    • directly: being treated worse because you are disabled
    • indirectly: by policies that are harder for disabled people to meet
    • arising from something you do because you are disabled
  • reasonable adjustments
    • workplace changes to help overcome disadvantage