Workers with cancer continue to face discrimination

New legal protections have not stopped employers from continuing to discriminate against workers with cancer, according to the Disability Rights Commission (DRC).

A recent DRC survey of its casework found that women with breast cancer are particularly likely to face dismissal.

Since December 2005, people with cancer and other long-term health conditions have had legal protection from the point of diagnosis. Until that time, employers could dismiss workers with such conditions because the law only protected them once the condition affected their ability to carry out normal activities.

But figures from the DRC's helpline show that, between December 2005 and August 2006, 174 calls were received from people with cancer experiencing discrimination at work - 71, or 41%, of which were from women with breast cancer.

Agnes Fletcher, the DRC's assistant director of communications, said many employers "still haven't got the message". While acknowleging that many employers are complying with the law, she added: "Direct discrimination and failures to make adjustments are turning the world of work into a very hostile environment."