Most long Covid sufferers treated unfairly at work

Two-thirds of employees with long Covid have been treated unfairly at work while one in seven have lost their jobs, according to the research by the TUC and Long Covid Support Employment Group.

Two in three (66%) of the more than 3,000 workers with long Covid who responded to the survey said they had suffered unfair treatment, an increase from 52% in 2021, while almost a quarter (23%) had faced employers who questioned whether they had the condition or its impact.

One in six (16%) experienced bullying or harassment at work, and one in seven (14%) had lost their jobs for reasons connected to long Covid, up from 5% in 2021.

In addition, around half said they don’t get sufficient support or benefit from reasonable adjustments, such as longer breaks, home working or physical changes to the workplace, and one in eight haven’t told their boss for fear of discrimination.

The TUC is calling for everyone with long Covid to be recognised as disabled under the Equality Act and for Covid-19 to be seen as a workplace disease.

“Workers with long Covid have been badly let down,” said TUC general secretary Paul Nowak.

“Ministers must make sure all workers with long Covid have the legal right to reasonable adjustments so they can stay in their jobs.”