Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Despite growing understanding of the benefits neurodivergent workers bring to the workplace, prejudice and discrimination continue to combine to prevent many from seeking support at work. This is particularly so for young workers, with as many as 40% of young, neurodivergent people believing their neurodivergence could prevent them from being employed or promoted and leading to 1 in 2 changing or masking their neurodivergence at work or in an interview. The duty to make reasonable adjustments is crucial to enabling disabled workers to secure employment and progress in work, yet the majority are not having their needs met. This failure is more pronounced where a worker’s impairment is invisible. Young neurodivergent workers report being seen as the ‘problem’, with managers trying to ‘fix’ them, rather than the workplace features that disadvantage them.”
Usdaw is asking delegates to support a call on trade unions to:
- Ensure the experiences of young neurodivergent workers are centred in their campaigning and bargaining work.
- Press employers to adopt the social model in their policies and practice.
- Campaign for a strengthening of the duty and its enforcement.
Joanne Thomas continues: “In recent years the scale and extent of sexual harassment has been thrown into sharp focus. Usdaw’s evidence has shown that young women in particular are disproportionately impacted by sexual harassment in the workplace. We recognise that trade unions are crucial to; defending young workers’ rights and acknowledging the vital role of reps in encouraging the reporting of harassment; ensuring appropriate action is taken; and campaigning on the issue in the workplace. We recognise the potential the preventative duty has to tackle harassment and the improvements that will be delivered through the Employment Rights Act, including the reintroduction of explicit protection from third party harassment.”
Usdaw is calling on the TUC to:
- Continue to support the work trade unions are doing with employers to address sexual harassment.
- Call on the Government to monitor and report on the measures employers are putting in place now that the preventative duty is on the statute book.
- Work with ACAS and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the provisions of the Employment Rights Act are fully implemented and enforced.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion