TUC Disabled Workers' Committee

Janine proposing a motion condemning deaths of autistic and learning disabled people in care, at TUC Disabled Workers' Conference in May 2019.

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On 21 March this year, an inquest ruled that the death of Colette McCulloch was avoidable.

Colette was thirty-five years old when she died. She was autistic, and in a hostile society, she had become mentally unwell.

This is Janine's speech seconding the motion on the Trade Union Act at TUC Disabled Workers' Conference 2019. The motion was passed unanimously.

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RMT welcomes PCS’ motion and its focus on electronic balloting. Our amendment extends this discussion to the rest of the Trade Union Act and to the rest of the anti-union laws.

Under UK law, we can not take lawful industrial action except in so-called ‘trade disputes’:

The final motion at this year’s TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference was on Learning Disability. As this is an important and neglected issue, and the motion made some good points, it was clearly going to pass. However, I thought it important to point out some problems with it. Contributions to the debate were limited to three minutes, so this is probably more blunt and less nuanced than it might have been!

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.

RMT's Disabled Members' Advisory Committee met for the second time on Wednesday 13 September.

1. Committee membership

We welcomed new members to the Committee, and completed the election of our Liaison (conference arrangements) Committee.

2. Guest speaker: Transport for All

Statement by the TUC Disabled Workers' Committee to TUC Disabled Workers' Conference, 18 May 2017:

There will be a general election on Thursday 8 June. Whatever the circumstances under which it was called, it is an opportunity for voters to either reaffirm or change the government.

My contribution to the debate on mental health at TUC Disabled Workers' Conference 2017:

I'm speaking in support of all the motions on mental health, but especially the one from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, as that is the one that acknowledges that workplaces are causing mental distress.

There is now a lot more talking about mental health than there used to be. That is very welcome.

Forthcoming TUC Disabled Workers' Conference, 18-19 May

The Committee agreed:

Yesterday saw RMT's first ever Disabled Members' Conference, held in London.

Although quite small (9 delegates, plus union officials), the important thing was that it took place at all, especially as rank-and-file members had pushed for its creation against the wishes of the union's national leadership. Now it is established, it will grow from year to year, as the union's other equalities conferences have done.