Publications

Submission to the Department for Communities consultation on the Disability and Work Strategy

Summary recommendations/messages

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission:

2.18 recommends that the Department for Communities sets out the full range of human rights obligations relating to the right to work within the Disability and Work Strategy. This will ensure that the Strategy is underpinned by the relevant human rights framework and interpreted according to its principles. This should include in respect of the rights of d/Deaf and disabled people.

3.6 recommends that a Windsor Framework Article 2 assessment should be undertaken at the earliest possible stage of implementation which should be published.

4.4 recommends that the Department of Communities ensures that measures designed to improve access to work are matched with actions to address inequality within work, including earnings and progression, and considers the relevance of enhanced pay transparency mechanisms to support achievement of the Strategy’s aim.

5.6 recommends that the Department of Communities ensure that awareness of reasonable accommodation duties is embedded within employer-support measures, as outlined in Article 5 of the Employment Equality (Framework) Directive.