Disability Pay Gap Day

The TUC has determined that the 4th November as ‘Disability Pay Gap Day’ — the day when the average disabled person stops getting paid compared to the average non disabled person. To coincide with this, the TUC has launched a new report on the Disability Employment and Pay gap.

The TUC report looks at the difference between the average hourly pay of disabled and non-disabled workers — which we call the disability pay gap, building on previous research which was published in 2018.

Disabled people experience significant barriers in terms of gaining and remaining in employment — an employment gap of around 30 per cent — but this research shows that disabled people face double discrimination compared to their non-disabled peers.

The findings in summary:

• that there has been a small improvement in the employment gap, a 0.8 percent increase. That means it will take a further 37 years before the employment gap is closed.
• the pay gap is 15.5 per cent, an increase of 0.3 per cent from last year making it impossible to predict when this gap will be eliminated.
• disabled workers work for 57 days a year without pay and the day they stop getting paid is Monday 4th November.
• disabled workers are paid, on average, £1.65 an hour less than their non-disabled peers. This works out as an annual difference of £3,003 (based on a 35 hour work week).

What needs to be done?

In 2018, the government launched a voluntary framework where employers could explain what they were doing to recruit and retain disabled workers. Only 280 employers signed up, and of these only five went on to publish their data.

A year on, the disability pay gap has increased — a voluntary framework is not enough and the TUC is calling on the government to do more to ensure disabled workers are treated fairly at work. Mandatory disability pay gap reporting should be introduced for all employers with more than 50 employees.

Employers should use the data obtained through reporting to create targeted action plans to eliminate the gap and to work with trade unions to address the inequalities linked to disability in the workforce.

Unions should work with employer to negotiate disability pay gap monitoring and reporting policies and practices, making sure any reporting is accompanied by an action plan, and using positive action to address areas of disadvantage.

What can you do?

• Sign up to the TUC petition calling on the government to introduce disability mandatory pay gap reporting.
• Join in the conversation — post on social media using #TUC and #DisabilityPayGap

We are the voice of working people and that’s why on Monday 4th November we’re speaking with one voice to call on the government and employers to do better.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues that we’ve discussed here and you want to talk to us confidentially, or if you want to give us any feedback on what’s been happening in your workplace: contact us at equality@accordhq.org