People with disabilities in Britain are being forced by some employers to return to work by denying them paid leave so they can shelter from the coronavirus. Tanzia Haq reports.
As Britain slowly begins to reopen, many employers are allegedly denying people with disabilities paid leave from work. Unless the person with a disability can show a letter of vulnerability, employers are not allowing them to remain home, thus creating a risk of contracting coronavirus for them and their carers.
Here’s what you need to know:
- These harsh measures are impacting key workers such as teachers, child care professionals and shop clerks. Parents of children with disabilities are also scared because without paid leave, they may be forced into exposure to the virus which they can pass on to their already vulnerable children.
- According to Public Health England, someone who needs to shield is entitled to statutory sick pay. However, this applies only to the people the government has deemed ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’. Employers can also furlough employees who are shielding but are not legally required to do so.
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is fighting for employers to be legally bound to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people if conditions are less safe for them than their non-disabled colleagues.
- Government representative have said: “The clinically extremely vulnerable classification should not be used by employers to decide who can and cannot travel into work. We expect employers to be understanding where people aren’t able to work and need to stay at home on government advice.”
