AUTISM IN THE WORKPLACE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2016 :: RMTnews 26 Autism is a condition which affects around one in 50 of us. The barriers that are put in the way of autistic people succeeding in life and in the workplace are something we can all help tackle together: this book explains how. Janine Booth’s book looks at these barriers t and suggests how to remove them on the basis that it is the workplace which is incapacitating, not the worker who is unable to do the job required of them. Janine’s perspective can perhaps best summed up in the explanation of overcoming one common yet unjustified issue; “the number one strategy for removing barriers to fitting in is to accept us for who we are”. The book is split into five sections covering the issues that autistic people are faced with, solutions to these barriers, legal rights and how we as trade unionists can improve our workplaces together. The use of illustrations, lists, and a question and answer format to describe the barriers autistic people face make the book accessible and easy to read. Numerous accounts and quotes of unacceptable and unnecessary situations provide first-hand experience. A common theme, and something many of us will recognise, is that bosses could often have resolved issues with little difficulty, it just needs understanding and willingness. An overview of the way this can be done is provided in areas including finding work, passing an interview, being given suitable work and doing the job day to day. ‘Autism, Work and the Law’ is the penultimate chapter which deals with legal rights and protections for disabled people internationally. The UN’s ‘Convention of rights of persons with disabilities’ is described as a major step forward; yet it won’t surprise many of us to learn that a government being a signatory to the charter doesn’t mean they actually implement it. In the UK a specific law has been passed called The Autism Act. The government describes it as ‘fundamentally sound’; Autism-Europe describes it as ‘fundamentally flawed’. This is just one example of why the mantra at the end of the book - ‘nothing about us without us’ - is so important. The final chapter looks at how change can come about. The answer is in a progressive workplace policy, negotiated between unions and employers and created with autistic people. The approach and solutions that the book details is useful knowledge for any trade unionist. Beyond that, Janine’s method in investigating, explaining and offering solutions to barriers and problems faced is a model all trade unionists can learn from and apply when dealing with similar issues in their own workplaces. As Janine poeticises “Design a fresh start where there’s room to relax; to think, to imagine, to heal up the cracks; agree some new rules where we all have control; of our workplaces, life spaces, world as a whole”. Yes, let’s. The book published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers is available to buy from www.jkp.com/uk/autism- equality-in-the-workplace.html RMT members can get a 10 per cent discount on the cover price of £12.99 by entering code Y16. RMT members from across the country attended the TUC Disabled Workers Conference in London last month. This year’s conference had as its overarching theme, Demanding Rights, Demanding Dignity. As a public service union, along with delegations from other public service unions, RMT delegates strongly advocated that demanding rights and demanding justice applied equally to workers and service users. Highlighting the opportunities for bringing both sides together in defence of public services in the face of privatisation, one RMT motion spoke about the multiple impacts of job losses, service cuts and of a profit-before- service ethos. In particular it was argued that job losses and deteriorating services made public transport less accessible for disabled passengers, while also increasing levels of mental and other forms of ill-heath among hard-pressed workers. A Unite union motion for the legal right of access to public transport for people with disabilities was seconded by RMT. This advocated removing long-standing restrictions around the time of travel for people with concessionary tickets, while improved timetabling and the ‘joining-up’ of different forms of public transport would serve to make services much more accessible to groups who are effectively excluded from the current chaotic arrangements. Access to public transport, the title of the RMT motion, also touched on similar themes and this was seconded in turn by Unite. This motion reflected on- going RMT campaigns against the closure of ticket offices, cuts in customer-facing staff and our long-standing opposition to DO0’, driver only operated train services. There is plenty of evidence that disabled RMT AT TUC DISABLED WORKERS CONFERENCE Ann Mooney of Glasgow No5 branch reports on the TUC Disabled Workers Conference London Underground RMT rep Peter North reviews Autism Equality in the Workplace: removing barriers and challenging discrimination by Janine Booth AUTISM IN THE WORKPLACE