Trade unions as employment facilitators for disabled employees: The case of the UK's Transport Salaried Staffs' Association Neurodiversity project

The paper contributes to debates on trade unions as employment facilitators for disabled employees, as well as adding to current knowledge of and insights to trade union disability practices. This is achieved through an analysis of a government funded trade union project designed to facilitate employment for neurologically impaired employees working in the UK transport industry. Little attention has been given in the HRM literature to an analysis of trade unions as facilitators for disabled employees, especially in the case of employees impaired by dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD and Asperger syndrome. Using primary data gathered from a range of trade union stakeholders, the paper provides in-depth insights into trade unions involvement in disability practices. The main findings suggest trade unions, even in times of declining memberships, ongoing employer resistance and government intervention in employment relations, retain a capacity to provide both traditional/collective and specialised/individualised employment facilitation for disabled employees. However, this capacity is threatened by the likely withdrawal of important government funding for projects that can play a critical role in the facilitation of employment for disabled employees.