Hi, I've had RA over 6yrs and struggling at work, I work full time and had try to arrange hospital and blood tests around my day off, but was called in to see gp, was told I had to make the time back up at work on my day off, which meant I had to. Work 10 days thru, any ideas if this is legal, I was shattered has I work 9 hrs a time and stood on feet all day apart from half hr break x

Hi Joanne ,

that is extremely unfair , have a read of the two leaflets " I want to work " and an "employer's guide " that you should have received in your membership pack .
These are also available HERE.

It is a specialist area and so requires an expert to deal with it ..ring the helpline and they should be able to help and put you in touch with someone who can give initial advice.

The company are supposed to make reasonable adjustments for your disability , however the term "disabled" and exactly what constitutes a reasonable adjustment are a complicated issue.Any good employer should enter into conversation with you to discuss your needs .
Ring the helpline or seek support from your Union or an Advice agency.
Sorry i can't be of any more help on this as it is a complicated area of employment practice , you should however be protected under the Disability Discrimination Act , and as from April ..the Equalities Act.

Good Luck and let us know how you get along.

Rich :)

I think as Rich says expert advice is needed as this area is something of a minefield. It sounds, Joanne, as though your employers may not be fully aware of your illness (often we prefer to keep these things to ourselves!) and perhaps giving them the NRAS booklet specifically for employers may cause them to rethink their approach; It seems unusually harsh for someone with a chronic debilitating condition. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a difficult disease for us to understand with all its variations and complexities so it must be difficult for employers to get their heads around it.

I hope you able to reach satisfaction without difficulty. The added stress of the work situation will not help the RA. Try to remain positive and do keep posting

Lyn x

Morning,

Many thanks to Bob and Rich who gave me great advice, I acted upon this and now after having a meeting with my District Manager have been able to sort out
my problems, I also gave her a copy of the Employers of RA, and now I even get paid my bonus even if I'm off.

Joe x