Last month a new Act of Parliament came into effect across England, Scotland and Wales. It might have happened fairly quietly but the Equality Act 2010 is hugely significant for people of working age who are affected by cancer.
The Act extends the protections, formerly in the Disability Discrimination Act, to people in work who are diagnosed with cancer and includes new protections for carers. It covers all aspects of employment – from recruitment to promotion to dismissal.
We know that cancer and its treatment can have a significant impact on someone’s ability to work. But sometimes a few adjustments to someone’s work load and or work place can make all them being able to stay in or return to work. And under the Act employers are legally required to consider making ‘reasonable adjustments’ for their staff with cancer.
However Macmillan research shows that the majority of line managers don’t know about their legal responsibilities towards people with cancer. And less than 40% of people with cancer know about their legal rights in the workplace. This low awareness means that less than half of people with cancer who were working when they were diagnosed say their employer discussed with them sick pay entitlement, flexible working conditions, or workplace adjustments after the informed their employer about their diagnosis. These are exactly the kind of adjustments that employers are legally obliged to consider.
We have launched our Working through cancer campaign to raise awareness of the Act so that employers provide the right support to their staff affected by cancer, and so that people affected by cancer understand their legal rights.
We’ve produced a guide to the new Equality Act together with a resource for employers to support staff with cancer. These are on www.macmillan.org.uk/work. Have a look at our online videos which give information and advice on breaking the news, confidentiality, rights and responsibilities, carers and treatments, and the importance of work: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/GetInvolved/Campaigns/WorkingThroughCancer/CancerInTheWorkplace.aspx
Today we’ve asked every Member of Parliament to write to the top five employers in their constituency to tell them about the Equality Act, pointing them to our website for MPs to get more information. Please write to your MP to support this campaign and write to employers where you live.
We would also really like to hear your experiences of work and cancer. I spoke to an MP recently who couldn’t believe some of the case studies in our Equality Act guide – like the case of Jim’s boss who was being awkward about his request for time off for a chemotherapy appointment. We want to tell them about the real experiences you have every day at work.
