Wages Councils Act 1979 (Amendment) (Hansard, 25 January 1983)

§ Mr. Robert C. Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne, West)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to repeal section 16 of the Wages Councils Act 1979. As this is the second time in three months that I have introduced the Bill, I do not intend to belabour the House with the statistical arguments that are already well set out in columns 231 and 232 of the Official Report of 19 October 1982. The International Year of the Disabled has been and gone. During that year, many pious intentions were expressed and many worthy schemes of positive help to the disabled were started. Yet the one positive step that the Government could have taken was neglected. That was an end of the legal discrimination on wages that is enshrined in the law.

Section 16 of the Wages Councils Act 1979 provides for disabled workers to receive less than the statutory minimum rate laid down in any wages council. Wages council rates are notoriously low. The Act provides for an even lower rate. I ask for leave to introduce this Bill to end such legal discrimination against disabled people. I have a number of reasons.

First, the Wages Councils Act provides for the establishment of a wages council where it is believed that reasonable minimum wages are not being paid. It therefore makes nonsense for the Act then to provide for a lower wage which, by definition, would be unreasonably low. Secondly, the exemption puts more work on to the wages inspectorate which, because of Government cuts, is already hard pressed to do its real job of preventing unemployment. Most important, the worker who suffers the lower rate does not have to be registered as disabled but simply has to appear to be disabled. There are no medical requirements. It is simply the opinion of the employer and the inspector, neither of whom is qualified to judge the extent of the disability. The existence of 788 section 16 in the Act provides a charter to employ unskilled labour at even cheaper rates than the paltry sums laid down in the wages council orders with the ever-present threat that if the worker does not agree he or she could be out of a job.

Disabled people are part of our community. They suffer from a handicap that is itself enough of a burden without the added indignity of the legalised discrimination contained in the Act. I do not wish to claim a monopoly on the Opposition Benches of compassion for the disabled. I wish, however, to remind Conservative Members that my Bill stands no chance of success unless the Government are prepared to accept it. I appeal therefore to Conservative Members to bring pressure to bear on their ministerial colleagues, particularly the Prime Minister, to accept the Bill, which is simple and short, and which would take no time out of the legislative programme. Indeed, it could go speedily on its way to the other place following discussion lasting a few minutes on a Friday afternoon.

Compassion and sympathy for the disabled mean nothing unless hon. Members are prepared to act. I urge the Government to do just that, or to face the charge which I am entitled to make of gross hypocrisy.