‘Today’s bill gives disabled workers one simple change to stay in jobs they love’

I loved the years I spent as disability officer at the country’s biggest trade union. 

But the bit about my job I didn’t like was seeing hard-working union members forced out of their job for no other reason than being disabled. 

One in every five working age Brits has some kind of disability, but cases involving disabled workers were the majority of my workload as a shop steward. 

These were people who wanted to work, but whose manager would not make “reasonable adjustments”, small changes like starting work a bit later when the effects of morning tablets have worn off. 

One of the saddest cases I had was a woman with epilepsy who sometimes had a seizure at work but wanted to stay in her job. Her manager wouldn’t let her work more flexibly so she could take time off when she needed it. She ended up being pushed out the door and I expect she’s still on disability benefits to this day.

What a waste.

‘Disabled people are not getting support from the broken system we inherited’

It’s difficult enough coping day to day with a long-term health problem. You try so hard to get a job, and to enjoy the sense of wellbeing work gives you. So imagine the indignity of losing it just because an employer won’t make these small changes that would help you to succeed at work. 

When I became an MP, I promised myself I would do all I can to stop this waste of disabled people’s talent. 

This is not an easy time to make changes for the better. We all know the situation in the world is uncertain, and hard financial decisions will be needed. 

Nobody pretends that tackling the rising cost of welfare benefits will be simple, but most people recognise it is necessary. And when it comes to disabled people who want to work, I believe it is morally right. 

Of the ten million working age disabled Britons, only 54% are in work compared to 84% of non-disabled people. An estimated 200,000 disabled people say they could work right now with the right support and in the right job. But they’re not getting it from the broken system we inherited.

This drip, drip, drip of disabled people leaving the workforce is not good enough. When the water companies don’t fix a leak, we complain. Why aren’t we complaining about this? 

‘Helping more people to work is the best way to cut the benefits bill’

Whatever the financial position of the country, it is not right that disabled people are bearing the brunt of worklessness. 

I agree with Liz Kendall and Keir Starmer when they say that helping more people to work is the best way to cut the benefits bill and to help people out of poverty. 

So I am pleased that at the heart of this government’s Health and Disability reforms is additional funding – backed by political will – to support the long-term sick or disabled find secure, well-paid jobs. Outside of a recession, this will be the highest level of spending on employment support in at least 25 years.

A recent Learning and Work report found that two in ten disabled people want to work. The report, backed by the respected Joseph Rowntree Foundation, estimates the government’s planned 1.8bn investment in employment support and other changes could help up to 165,000 disabled people off benefits and into work. What an achievement that would be.

‘Still a lot more to do’

When I was at Unison I helped found the Disability Employment Charter. It’s a list of demands of government that would transform the workplace and help disabled people get and keep work. 240 employers have backed the charter, including Page Group and Conway Construction. 

Angela Rayner has already started to deliver change for disabled people through the Employment Rights Act.

This will give everyone the right to flexible working. For disabled workers it will make it easier to start later in the morning when the effects of pills have worn off, or to work part-time so you can manage your pain better. 

The Conservatives voted against these new rights. They argued it was too much “red tape” for employers. But the 240 employers that signed the Disability Employment Charter don’t think that. They know this will help keep more disabled people in work and off benefits.

But there is still a lot more to do.  That’s why the government have asked disability expert Charlie Mayfield, former head of John Lewis, to come up with more ideas on how we help disabled people to unleash their potential in work.

‘My 10 minute Rule Bill will help disabled workers stay in the jobs they love’

But there is something we can do now. Almost a quarter of the disabled workers I used to represent said they waited a year or more for the small changes they should be entitled to by law to be put in place. Imagine waiting a year for a keyboard that didn’t make your wrist pain worse? That’s just not good enough.

That’s why I believe there needs to be a deadline for a response to reasonable adjustment requests. I’ve been meeting with ministers to press the case on this.

I have a 10 Minute Rule Bill coming to Parliament today, 20 May, which would make this change and help disabled workers stay in the jobs they love. And along with the changes the government is already making, this could open up more good jobs to disabled people who want to work.

The constant dripping of good, talented people out of the workforce and onto benefits doesn’t help them and doesn’t help us grow the economy.

It’s time to turn off the taps. 

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