Disabled access to public transport

The TUC's Disabled Members' Committee has made this statement: Accessible public transport is essential for disabled people to participate in society on an equal and independent basis. To be genuinely accessible, public transport must be adequately staffed by workers with decent standards of training, pay, conditions and security of employment.

Janine speaks as part of a panel on Covid-19, democratic ownership and the future of the economy in May 2020. - organised by Another Europe Is Possible. Video plus text of speech below.

Accessible Transport

I will be convening the committee’s accessible transport working group, which will also include Elane Heffernan (UCU), Colleen Johnson (NEU) and Austin Harney (PCS).

We already have a campaign plan, which will now be updated.

The Committee agreed to support RMT DMAC’s day of action against London Overground ticket office cuts on 1 November.

Disabled Workers’ Conference decisions

We considered how to best carry out the decisions of the TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference. We agreed that the most effective way to do this was by establishing working groups on various policy areas. Committee members volunteered to convene groups, and a circular will be sent out asking other Committee members to volunteer to join these groups.

On 27 May, I took part in a panel discussion at Autistic UK's 'The Future is Gold' event. One question panellists were asked was 'Why am I not able to get a free travel pass for use on all buses and trains on Merseyside? I have Asperger's and don't fit into any category.' Here is the answer I gave [audio and video format to follow]:

1. TUC Disabled Workers' Conference, 24-25 May, Bournemouth

• Motions - The Committee agreed to to support all motions and amendments, except:
  • Unison's amendment to Unite's motion on Universal Credit (oppose) - the motion opposes UC; the amendment wants to change this to reforming it
  • POA's motion on mental health discrimination (oppose) - the Committee can not support the Time To Change campaign, as it is run by Mind, which collaborates with the DWP
  • Community's motion on sustainable supported employment (decision deferred) - the motion proposes promoting a particular company as 'best practice' for the employment of disabled people - we need more information before endorsing this

TUC DISABLED WORKERS’ CONFERENCE 2018

Venue accessibility: We noted our success in getting the TUC to change the conference location to an accessible venue. We looked at the detailed access statement for the venue, and I asked that a relaxation space be allocated for the use of conference attendees.

The fourth meeting of RMT's Disabled Members' Advisory Committee was the best-attended yet. The Committee continues to grow in size, and all members attended the meeting and contributed to our lively discussions.

The government's consultation on transport accessibility has extended its deadline to Wednesday 22 November. Anyone can submit their views.