Campaigners call for a better deal for disabled workers

Campaigners are calling for action to make employers give disabled workers a better deal.

The Disability Commission is calling on the Goivernment to make it mandatory for firms with more than 250 employees to report the proportion of their workforce that is disabled and the pay gaps that exist between them and non-disabled employees.

The commission said latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show 52% of disabled people are in work compared with 81% of non-disabled people.

In a new report, other recommendations made by the commission include increasing supported routes into employment, including work experience for disabled pupils, and reforming Government schemes such as Disability Confident and Access to Work.

It also urged the Government to take into account an organisation's disability employment records in all large public sector contract award decisions, and to require them to work towards increasing the proportion of disabled people within their workforce.

The commission argues that until employment disadvantage is addressed disabled people will continue to face social exclusion, financial hardship and reduced wellbeing.

Lord Shinkwin, who chairs the commission, said: "The launch of the Prime

Minister's national strategy for disabled people should mark an important milestone as the country recovers from the economic and social pain caused by the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected disabled people' s income, health, and employment prospects.”