Discrimination against disabled workers continues, and RMT is organising to oppose it
London Underground has announced that it plans to close all its ticket offices and remove up to 1,000 staff from its stations. The company states that it is consulting on these plans, so we hope it takes notice of our objections.
TUC Disability Conference – 28-29 May 2014
Read more on the TUC website here.
Transport For All; the charity campaigning for a fully accessible, reliable and affordable transport network for disabled and older Londoners has written to the Evening Standard describing the horror that disabled and older passengers will feel over tube bosses plans to cut staff.
Transport For All describe it as living in la-la-land to think cctv and ticket machines is a suitable alternative to station staff for the 43% of wheelchair users who have suffered hate crime on the tube, or the 29% of disabled people who feel unsafe using the underground.
The Letter
Domestic Violence Policy
Further to Decision No.CEWW, 23rd July 2013, the Equal Rights Sub-Committee submits the following report:
“That the General Secretary is instructed to raise this item with all the Regional Organisers who we have meetings with over the month of August 2013 and have a further update at the September Statutory meeting. Finally, the General Secretary to write to all other unions we share collective bargaining with and send them a copy of the policy for their consideration.
Sexual Violence Against Female Employees
That the General Secretary is instructed to all employers asking that all of the equality reps are elected and conducted by the RMT. Further the General Secretary to bring forward to the Council of Executives a training syllabus for these positions and make sure we provide enough training required and obtain relevant material from the TUC.
This report was written for the quarterly magazine Asperger's United by Caroline Henthorne who was a delegate to the TUC Disabled Workers' Conference
Report on the 2013 TUC Disability Conference Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd May 2013
By Caroline Henthorne
Aren’t Unions for People with Jobs?
Yes I know most autistic people are unemployed, but you don’t have to have a job to be in a union. Unions are the voice of the workforce. That’s people who are working and those of us who would like a job if we could get one.
The Trades Union Congress Disability Conference carried an emergency motion submitted by RMT calling for a review of the sentence given to Jordan Sheard for the killing of Steven Simpson, on grounds that the attack should have been treated as disability and homophobic hate crime (as well as unacceptable comments from the judge).
This is the speech I gave at TUC Disabled Workers' Conference in proposing RMT's resolution on Autism in the Workplace.
Andrew Beck has Asperger syndrome, an autistic spectrum condition. He was a golf club greenkeeper for 13 years with no problems, until a new boss bullied, humiliated and assaulted him, and forced him out of his job. Andrew won £78k at Employment Tribunal
Adam O’Dee has autism and dyslexia. He got a job through Remploy as a hotel chef. His boss bullied him and paid him half the minimum wage. Adam won £40k+ at employment Tribunal.
The RMT took a motion on the tragic death of Steven Simpson to the TUC Disability conference. The motion details how Steven, a young gay man who was autistic, was brutally killed. On his 18th birthday, he was doused in tanning oil and set alight - he died the next day.
The judge in the case Roger Keen dismissed the crime as ‘good-natured horseplay’ that had gone too far, and sentenced Sheard to a unusually short sentence of just three and a half years in prison.
At this month's London Transport Regional Council Meeting, reports were given by our Executive member Janine Booth and Regional Organiser John Leach.
These are just notes of the areas discussed - to find out more, have a look through this site, speak to your local rep and do your best to attend branch meetings and the LTRC meeting which is held on the last Thursday of each month except June and December.