Welcome back to Taking Fair Work Forward – a learning course on emerging issues, for EIS equality rep. In this course, we wanted to link in key learning on equality issues, with current matters affecting education.
About this week
Reasonable adjustments are an essential right in the pursuit of Fair Work for disabled workers.
In this week’s learning, you will be able to reflect on the importance of reasonable adjustments, consider some of the challenges that may exist, and how to overcome them.
This week’s expert is Sally Witcher, freelance trainer and former Chief Executive of Inclusion Scotland.
Access to reasonable adjustments is an essential right of disabled people, which can remove barriers to their equal participation at work. However, the onus is often placed on the worker themselves to advocate for their needs and to justify the benefit of an adjustment, even sometimes to other colleagues.
When reasonable adjustments are not in place, disabled workers work at a detriment. Reasonable adjustments are therefore an essential and important trade union lever for advancing equality.
At this time, long-Covid is possibly disproportionately impacting certain professions, including teaching. Preventing the spread of the virus remains vital, but also to ensure that workers are being taken seriously when they display symptoms and are given the support they need, immediately.
Equality Reps can play an essential role in improving employers and members’ own understanding of what is possible in relation to reasonable adjustments and to promote greater openness around the real impact of long-Covid, as an important equality issue at this time.
Possible actions for Equality Reps
Further information
Please move on to the Next Topic when you are done with this page – you can always return to view it again later on.
Now log into your Padlet to record your reflections, questions and notes. At the end of the week, please comment on at least one other participant’s reflections on the Padlet.
View our archived material on Fair-Work within Scotland’s education system