Report: TUC Disabled Workers' Committee, 21 April 2016

Janine

Saturday, 30th of April '16

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Campaign updates:

TUC Manifesto for Disability Equality is gaining support: unions are encouraged to endorse it and promote it
We will press the Labour Party to endorse the Manifesto and include its demands in its own manifesto
There is a model article about the Manifesto for trade union journals.
The government is consulting on reducing the disability employment gap: the difference between the 46.7% of disabled people who are employed and the 80.3% of non-disabled people who are employed.; the TUC is submitting a response to this consultation.
The TUC has also submitted a response to a Parliamentary consultation on how people with multiple sclerosis can access and retain work.

Preparations for Disabled Workers’ Conference

All motions and amendments and in order; a few drafting errors corrected.
The Committee supports, without reservations, all motions and amendments: this suggests that there may be little controversy or disagreement in the debates at conference: on the positive side, this may reflect a powerful unity in the face of government and employer attacks on disabled workers; on the more negative side, it may reflect that the motions and amendments are so broad-brush as to overlook actual areas of disagreement.
The Committee agreed its report to the conference.
There will be a two-hour session given over to the Labour Party’s disability equality roadshow: the Committee is organising this to ensure that delegates get to articulate their demands on the Labour Party, rather than it being simply a platform for the Labour Party.
John McDonnell MP will address the Conference on the Friday morning at 09:30
The Committee will hold a fringe meeting on the Thursday lunchtime on direct action, hosted jointly with Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC).
There will be a social on the Thursday evening, showcasing disabled musicians, poets and comedians; unions are asked to make donations towards the cost.
Unions and campaigns may book stalls at the conference.

We also discussed making future conferences more accessible, perhaps by considering alternative venues.