Helping disabled employees understand their rights

Solution
Helping disabled employees understand their rights
Organization
People First New Zealand Inc.
Country of Implementation
New Zealand
Region
Australia & Oceania
First published
31.12.2012

From 2008 to June 2012, People First NZ ran an employment advocacy service, Works4Us, to assist disabled workers to understand their employment rights and in issues of employment. As part of this service Work4Us developed an Easy Read Individual Employment Agreement to assist workers with learning disabilities.

Solution details

People

Cindy JOHNS Website

The Easy Read Individual Employment Agreement assists all potential and employed workers understand what their rights and responsibilities are. People First New Zealand is a national self-advocacy organisation run by and for people with learning (intellectual) disability. It has over 600 members across 25 groups throughout New Zealand. People First NZ is a Disabled Persons Organisation and works to promote the rights of people with learning disability. When all workers in New Zealand were covered by the same Employment Law (2007), People First NZ recognised, through research, that many people with learning disabilities who were working did not know their employment rights and had signed employment agreements that were not written in ways they could understand. From 2008 to June 2012, People First NZ ran an employment advocacy service, Works4Us, to assist disabled workers to understand their employment rights and in issues of employment. As part of this service Work4Us developed an Easy Read Individual Employment Agreement to assist workers with learning disabilities. A number of people and organisations were involved in the process of the development and their input has made the agreement successful. People First NZ would like to acknowledge employment lawyers, IHC NZ, the Department of Labour, people working in Human Resources, Unions, People First NZ members and staff. People First NZ is very proud to have developed an Easy Read Individual Employment Agreement that meets all the legal requirements of employment law in New Zealand and is promoting its use. The employment agreement has been taken to international conferences and the International Labour Organisation has commented that it is a first in the world.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Potentially up to 9,000 workers across all employers.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

Originating in New Zealand, use of a similar agreement is now also being discussed in both Canada and Australia.

Related information

Connections
2

Solutions with the same:

Country of Implementation

New Zealand

Region of Implementation

Australia & Oceania