Dying to Work campaign

Sign the petition to see terminal illness recognised as a ‘protected characteristic’

Many people battling terminal illness up and down the country are currently forced to undergo stressful HR assessments to determine if they are still capable of continuing in work. Failing this assessment can result in loss of income, loss of the dignity of dying in work and worryingly the loss of death in service payments, all after diagnosis.

We the undersigned, want to see the law changed to ensure that anybody batting a terminal condition in the future will not have to worry about their job and the financial security of their families but instead will be able to choose how they balance their work life over the final few months of their lives. 

Birmingham City Council signs up to TUC’s Charter for helping terminally ill workers – 22 November 2016

Council joins growing number of employers signing up to campaign inspired by GMB union member’s battle.  Birmingham City Council committed to a charter aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill at work. It is the latest high-profile employer to sign up to the Dying to Work voluntary charter.

The Dying to Work Voluntary Charter is a TUC initiative which sets out how employers can support terminally ill workers following their diagnosis.  The charter is part of the TUC’s wider Dying to Work campaign which is seeking greater security for terminally ill workers through a ‘protected period’ where they cannot be dismissed as a result of their condition. 

Carillion Rail signs up to TUC’s Charter for helping terminally ill workers   – 19 September 2016

Carillion, a FTSE 250 company, will sign up to a new charter today aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill at work.

The signing, which will take place at the RMT offices was attended by Andy Joy, Managing Director, Carillion Rail, Ken Usher, Regional Organiser RMT and  Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Lee Barron.

Energy giant E.ON become the first UK company to sign up to the TUC Dying to Work campaign voluntary charter committing them to supporting and helping terminally ill workers.

Other employers to sign up to the charter include insurance giant Legal and General, local authorities Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Harrow Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, the Housing Association Nottingham City Homes, the passenger shipping company Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Pellacraft, Santander and the food processing company AB Produce.

Dying to Work was set up by the TUC following the case of Jacci Woodcook, a 58-year-old sales manager from Derbyshire, who was forced out of her job after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.

The TUC is asking employers to sign up to its voluntary charter to stop cases like Jacci’s happening in the future.

RMT Regional Organiser, Ken Usher said: “To receive the awful dreaded news that you are terminally ill is difficult enough to deal with, therefore this charter seeks to provide support via good employers to their workers in order that they are treated with dignity, compassion and respect without being `cast adrift’ from their job, workplace and colleagues”

“I am extremely pleased that Carillion, one of our leading employers, have signed up to this charter and I now encourage all other decent like-minded employers to follow their lead and sign up to this charter.

Andy Joy, Managing Director, Carillion Rail, said: ‘Carillion Rail is delighted to sign this charter which reflects one of Carillion’s core values, ‘we care’, and demonstrates our commitment to treating our workforce fairly and with respect’.  

Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Lee Barron said: “Worrying about your job should be the least of your concerns when you receive a terminal diagnosis. We are delighted that Carillion have committed to sign up to the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter, working with unions to guarantee fair treatment for workers who find themselves in this position.  

“Growing numbers of employers are now realising that the current system leaves terminally ill workers in a vulnerable position. By signing the Charter, Carillion have extended protection and peace of mind to their workforce. We trust that more companies will follow this lead and sign the Dying to Work Charter.”

– The TUC Dying to Work Voluntary Charter states the following:

1. We recognise that terminal illness requires support and understanding and not additional and avoidable stress and worry.
2. Terminally ill workers will be secure in the knowledge that we will support them following their diagnosis and we recognise that safe and reasonable work can help maintain dignity, offer a valuable distraction and can be therapeutic in itself.
3. We will provide our employees with the security of work, peace of mind and the right to choose the best course of action for themselves and their families which helps them through this challenging period with dignity and without undue financial loss.
4. We support the TUC’s Dying to Work campaign so that all employees battling terminal illness have adequate employment protection and have their death in service benefits protected for the loved ones they leave behind.