About this week
Reasonable adjustments are an essential right in the pursuit of Fair Work for disabled workers.
This topic will provide the opportunity for you to reflect on the importance of reasonable adjustments, consider some of the challenges that may exist, and how to overcome them.
The expert video is provided by Sally Witcher, freelance trainer and former Chief Executive of Inclusion Scotland.
Learning points:
Reflective question:
If long-Covid is recognised as a disability, or indeed an industrial injury, how would this change how employers should address it?
How would trade union tactics to protect workers, be framed?
Long-Covid, and indeed any condition that is not yet widely understood, is ‘hidden’ or appear to affect a majority of women, is likely misunderstood by many employers. It is therefore very important that we as trade unionists, we are up to date on this issue, so that we can support members effectively.
It is clear from research that repeat exposure to Covid puts people at higher risk of developing long-covid, and high-risk jobs therefore include those working in educational establishments. There is also evidence that secondary school children experience high rates of long-Covid symptoms.
According to the Office of National Statistics, in October 2022, it was estimated that around 204,000 people in Scotland are living with long-Covid (75,000 have been living with long-Covid for over a year)– more than the population of Aberdeen City. During 2021, one in five adults are likely to have suffered from long-Covid.
One of the largest studies to date was conducted by the University of Glasgow and looked into the long-term effects of Covid, finding that 1 in 20 people had not recovered between six and 18 months following infection.
Prevalence of long-Covid was also found to be higher amongst older people, women, and those living in communities of high deprivation. Similar findings were found for people with existing physical and mental health problems or impairments.is
View our archived material on Fair-Work within Scotland’s education system