UCU: Disability and casualisation

Motion

Motion text: Congress notes
that just over 50% of disabled people of working age are in employment but HESA data indicates that only just over 4% of academic staff declare a disability with only 2.7% of professors declaring a disability
that there is no data on the numbers of staff on casualised contracts who declare a disability facing significant obstacles in gaining employment and developing careers in both sectors
that research indicates that the growth of casualised contracts is an additional barrier to secure the reasonable adjustments they need to do their jobs
that the implementation of the REF is fundamentally ableist and entrenches disability discrimination.
Congress resolves:
to campaign for HESA and equivalent body in FE to collate data on the intersection of protected characteristics and employment status
to set up a working group tasked with contacting members on casualised contracts to establish:
the efficacy of the REF code of practice in mitigating disability discrimination calling on funding bodies to ensure any mechanism to review is developed in consultation with employees'
whether they have received the reasonable adjustments that they require