Your rights at work
Minimum Wage
The National Minimum wage until October 2013 is £6.19 per hour
for an adult over 21, £4.98 per hour for 18-20 year olds and £3.68 for 16-17
year olds. It is against the law
to ask you to work for less than these rates.
Discrimination at work
It’s against the law for employers to discriminate against you
because of a disability. The Equality Act 2010 protects you and covers areas
including:
application forms
interview arrangements
aptitude or proficiency tests
job offers
terms of employment, including pay
promotion, transfer and training opportunities
dismissal or redundancy
discipline and grievances
You are classed as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you
have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’
negative effect on your ability to do normal daily
activities:
'substantial’
is more than minor or trivial - e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would
to complete a daily task like getting dressed
‘long-term’
means 12 months or more - e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result
of a lung infection
There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating
conditions, for example, arthritis.
Reasonable adjustments
An employer has to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to avoid you
being put at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled people in the workplace,
e.g. they could make adjustments to your working hours or provide you with a
special piece of equipment to help you do the job.
There is potential help available from the Access to Work Scheme, which
can make grants for any of the following:
adaptations to the equipment you use special equipment
a support worker or job coach to help you in your
workplace
fares to work if you’re unable to use public transport
disability awareness training for your colleagues
a communicator at a job interview.You will find more information on the Access to Work scheme at
https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/overview
Time off from work should not be recorded as an ‘absence from
work’ if you’re waiting for your employer to put reasonable adjustments in
place.
Dismissal and redundancy
Your employer can’t dismiss you just because you’ve become
disabled.
However, you can be dismissed if your disability means you can’t
do your job even with reasonable adjustments.
You can’t be chosen for redundancy just because you’re disabled.
The selection process for redundancy must be fair and balanced for all
employees. Your employer cannot
force you to retire if you become disabled. They must also keep your job open for
you and can’t put pressure on you to resign just because you’ve become disabled.
For advice about work issues, the Advisory, Conciliation and
Arbitration Service (known as ACAS) may be able to help.
You could also talk to your trade union
representative.
Minimum Wage
The National Minimum wage until October 2013 is £6.19 per hour
for an adult over 21, £4.98 per hour for 18-20 year olds and £3.68 for 16-17
year olds. It is against the law
to ask you to work for less than these rates.
Discrimination at work
It’s against the law for employers to discriminate against you
because of a disability. The Equality Act 2010 protects you and covers areas
including:
application forms
interview arrangements
aptitude or proficiency tests
job offers
terms of employment, including pay
promotion, transfer and training opportunities
dismissal or redundancy
discipline and grievances
You are classed as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you
have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’
negative effect on your ability to do normal daily
activities:
'substantial’
is more than minor or trivial - e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would
to complete a daily task like getting dressed
‘long-term’
means 12 months or more - e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result
of a lung infection
There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating
conditions, for example, arthritis.
Reasonable adjustments
An employer has to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to avoid you
being put at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled people in the workplace,
e.g. they could make adjustments to your working hours or provide you with a
special piece of equipment to help you do the job.
There is potential help available from the Access to Work Scheme, which
can make grants for any of the following:
adaptations to the equipment you use special equipment
a support worker or job coach to help you in your
workplace
fares to work if you’re unable to use public transport
disability awareness training for your colleagues
a communicator at a job interview.You will find more information on the Access to Work scheme at
https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/overview
Time off from work should not be recorded as an ‘absence from
work’ if you’re waiting for your employer to put reasonable adjustments in
place.
Dismissal and redundancy
Your employer can’t dismiss you just because you’ve become
disabled.
However, you can be dismissed if your disability means you can’t
do your job even with reasonable adjustments.
You can’t be chosen for redundancy just because you’re disabled.
The selection process for redundancy must be fair and balanced for all
employees. Your employer cannot
force you to retire if you become disabled. They must also keep your job open for
you and can’t put pressure on you to resign just because you’ve become disabled.
For advice about work issues, the Advisory, Conciliation and
Arbitration Service (known as ACAS) may be able to help.
You could also talk to your trade union
representative.