Norfolk campaigner says disabled people are facing discrimination "in all levels of the job market"
Analysis from the TUC claims that less-abled people working in the East are facing a pay gap of £2.30 an hour
A Norfolk campaigner is telling us that young disabled people in the county are facing discrimination "in all levels of the job market".
It's following analysis from the TUC, which claims that less-abled people working in the East are facing a pay gap of £2.30 an hour, compared to their other work-mates.
The national Trade Union Centre says it's study indicated that non-disabled workers earn around a sixth more than disabled workers, with the difference estimated at £3,460 a year for someone working a 35-hour week.
They say this means that disabled people effectively work for free for the last 47 days of the year - or that they stop getting paid from today.
The TUC, which has branded Tuesday 'Disability Pay Gap Day', claim its analysis shows the disability pay gap is higher than it was a decade ago (13.2% in 2013/14) when the first comparable pay data was recorded.
The national TUC says the biggest pay gap is in financial and industrial services, which is said to equate to 33.2% or £5.60 an hour.
"We think that companies and employers should reflect that"
Mark Harrison is from 'Disabled People Against Cuts, Norfolk':
"Disabled people face discrimination at all levels in the jobs market. We're still stuck in the situation where disabled people are treated as charity cases and companies employ them to make them look good.
"There is probably about 12% of disabled people in the labour market. We think that companies and employers should reflect that. But most are woeful and only have 1% or 2% disabled people in their workforce."
"Need Government-led initiatives to help level the playing field"
He told us how this is affecting young adults across the county:
"They have been through School, College, University and get degrees- and then they hit the buffers. As the barriers in the labour markets- which affect all graduates- are so much greater for young disabled people.
"The key to is it where there's a way, there's a way. You have to invest in disabled people and organisations that can support employers to do better. We also need Government-led initiatives to help level the playing field."
"Too many disabled people are held back at work"
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:
"We all deserve to be paid fairly for the work we do but disabled people continue to be valued less in our jobs market.
"It's shameful there has been zero progress on the disability pay gap in the last decade.
"Being disabled shouldn't mean you are given a lower wage - or left out of the jobs market altogether.
"Too many disabled people are held back at work, not getting the reasonable adjustments they need to do their jobs.
"We need to strengthen the benefits system for those who are unable to work or are out of work, so they are not left in poverty."
What's the Government said?
Latest data from the Department for Work and Pensions show that nearly 5 million disabled people are employed in the UK- an increase of 2 million on 2013.