Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “The majority of low-paid disabled workers continued to go out to work during the pandemic. Yet despite Government and employer rhetoric about valuing key workers many disabled workers feel unheard and undervalued.
“Public attitudes to disability show that significant numbers of people believe that disabled workers are a burden and take more than they give, but without disabled workers key industries like retail and food manufacturing would be unable to function. Millions of key workers are also disabled workers.
“One sided employer driven flexibility has a detrimental impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of disabled workers. Lack of control over working hours, short notice changes to hours and low hours contracts make it difficult for disabled workers to manage their work/life balance.
“Positive worker centred flexible working can be a reasonable adjustment for disabled workers if it removes a barrier they face to doing their job. Unions are challenging casualised forms of flexibility that only work for the employer.
“At this year’s conference Usdaw is calling on the TUC to be clear that flexibility isn’t just about home working and ensure the voice of disabled workers is heard when campaigning around flexible working.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
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