Keep Britain Working (Mayfield) Review

The Government has made a lot of noise about wanting to support people, especially disabled people, back into work.

At the same time they have made it harder both for disabled people to get into work or for those in work to stay in work through:

• tightening the application of the criteria used for PIP

• forcibly moving claimants from ESA to Universal Credit, resulting in substantial cuts in benefits

• removing tax emptions from the Motability scheme

• making Access to Work even more difficult to access

• failing to make it a legal requirement for employers to provide 'Reasonable Adjustments' or what we would call 'Necessary Adjustments' because they are not optional

Here is the speech from Lyn Degele who seconded the motion at the TUC Disabled Workers Conference

Lynn Degele, NUJ delegate seconding Motion 4

Lynn Degele, NUJ delegate to the Conference

I am speaking on behalf of the NUJ to second the motion, in particular to include Disabled workers in implementing these changes.

The Keep Britain Working review recommends partnership between employers, the government and Disabled workers.

The Equality Act 2010 already requires employers to implement reasonable adjustments for Disabled workers.

At the 2025 TUC Disabled Workers Conference, delegates voted unanimously to adopt the Social Model of Disability, highlighting the barriers Disabled workers face getting into and staying in work.

It is not enough to get Disabled workers into work. It is essential to have support, reasonable adjustments and assistive technology in place.

An inclusive and welcoming environment is vital to enable transparency and authenticity, whether that be for Disabled workers’ neurodivergence or physical impairments for example.

Currently the responsibility falls on Disabled workers, whilst working, to advocate for themselves. Disabled workers in larger organisations may have access to occupational health and policies, whilst support is limited for those in small and medium enterprises (SME), and those who are self-employed.

It is also important to implement and support existing accommodations, such as the Reasonable Adjustments passport to retain Reasonable Adjustments between employers and organisations. The Trade Union movement needs to work together to raise awareness, and campaign and ensure timelines for Reasonable Adjustments and support are put in place, and to be specific about these timelines, such as 2 weeks to respond to requests, since it can take 4 months to 1 year to implement these.

Conference, the 7 year horizon is too long, when support and systems already exist. What is needed is the will to use these and ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for Disabled workers.

Fund Access to Work, reinstate email support, to allow Disabled workers and employers to communicate more easily. Email support was discontinued on 1 May, and access is now via the phone and post. Email communication now needs to be requested as a reasonable adjustment. In the 21st Century, it should be possible to communicate via email as standard.

Conference, please support this motion to ensure Disabled workers are at the heart of any changes.

Tell us what you think about the Mayfield Review and the Government's proposals to get disabled people into work. Will they get people into work or will the Government's reforms force disabled people out of work? Tell us what you think and about your experiences in the comment box below this article.

Motion 4 - Keep Britain Working (Mayfield) Review

Conference notes the publication of the Mayfield Review into the issues surrounding ill-health and disability in the workplace. It welcomes Mayfield's call for employers to take greater responsibility for removing barriers that exclude disabled people from the workplace and mean that they fail to receive the support they require when in work.

However, the seven-year horizon for taking action is too long and the report lacks detail on what it expects employers to do, despite there already being substantial evidence of how to remove exclusionary practices. It also fails to recognise that the workplace is, for many, a source of harm, both causing and exacerbating health conditions and impairments.

Furthermore, the conference is concerned that the report overlooks the vital role trade unions and disabled workers must play in implementing the recommendations and designing measures to support people in work.

Conference calls on the Disabled Workers' Committee to:

i) Engage with the Department for Work and Pensions on implementation of the report's recommendations ensuring that disabled workers are at the heart of any changes.

ii) Produce resources and updates on the progress of the review.

iii) Campaign for wider access to quality occupational health services and support union involvement in their introduction.