The 4th Annual STUC Disabled Workers’ Conference was held in the Apex Hotel, Dundee, on Saturday/Sunday, 29-30 September 2007, and was chaired by Gina Hay, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association. 51 delegates, representing 13 trade unions and 1 trades union council, attended the conference the theme of which was “Unions Work for Disabled”.
A plenary session entitled ‘Mental Well-being and the Workplace’ took place on the Saturday morning and was Chaired by Lesley McCallum, Member of the STUC Disabled Workers’ Committee. Panel members consisted of Ron Coleman, Talking Voices; Judith MacKinnon, Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH); Ian Tasker, STUC Assistant Secretary and member of Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives. Panel members were asked to give a 10 minute speech to inform delegates of what they do within their organisation, followed by discussion and questions from delegates.
A presentation on the ‘Hidden History of Disability’ was given by Sasha Callaghan, UCU Delegate and UCU President Elect, on the Saturday before close of Conference, and a presentation on Dyslexia was given by Derek Kennedy of the BFAWU on the Sunday morning of Conference. Both presentations were well received.
Key speakers who addressed the Conference were:
John Mitchell, Dundee Citizen of the Year Fiona Farmer, Vice Chairperson, STUC General Council Shona Robison MSP, Minister for Public Health Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary Ian Tasker, on behalf of the STUC Youth Committee Tricia McLaren, Chair, STUC Women’s Committee
Motions were debated and agreed on both the Saturday and Sunday, and topics included – Single Equality Act, Disability Equality Duty, Disability Discrimination, Anti-Discrimination, Equality Representatives, Delivering Training on Disability in the Workplace, Access to Work, Remploy, Civil and Public Services, Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Union Services, Dyslexia, Travel by Train, Disabled People and Sex, Aiming High for Disabled Children.