A severely hearing-impaired man has been awarded £50,000 damages after a judge ruled he suffered “personal attacks” by hostile employment agency staff who refused him specialist help in finding work.
Paul Rimmer, who communicates primarily in British Sign Language (BSL) and has limited reading and writing skills, was subjected to “oppressive” and unlawful behaviour by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff, Judge Joanna Wade ruled at an employment tribunal.
The judge described a six-year pattern of abuse by officials who repeatedly discriminated against Mr Rimmer, including by denying him BSL interpreters and access to video calls, as “Groundhog Day.”
She found that Leeds Park Place employment agency, the largest in the north of England, was consistently “insensitive” to Ms Rimmer’s needs as a deaf jobseeker. She criticised the attitude of staff which naturally led Ms Rimmer to feel “constantly having to fight for what others take for granted”.
In a statement, Rimmer welcomed the verdict, saying: “While I still feel a little angry about all those wasted years, I am pleased that the truth has finally come out. I have been telling the DWP for many years about the difficulties I have faced and finally someone believes me.”
He added: “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and hope it will help not only me but others. I know the same thing happens in other employment agencies but I would like to see things change more widely. I would like to see the DWP look more widely at training staff across the country, not just in Leeds.”
The DWP’s treatment of chronically ill or disabled recipients is coming under increasing scrutiny, with a British human rights watchdog launching a formal investigation on Wednesday into whether the organisation breached equality law in its management of disability benefit assessments.
At the employment tribunal, Wade presented internal emails in which Park Place’s disability employment adviser slandered Mr Rimmer and actively tried to block his requests for a referral to an intensive employment support programme. Instead, he suggested they “get tough” on Mr Rimmer and threatened him with sanctions (withdrawal of benefits).
The officials, who had never met Rimmer and knew little about his background, advised colleagues that his hearing loss would not pose a significant barrier to his ability to work, and suggested his complaints about a lack of deaf-friendly support were a deliberate attempt to “sabotage” efforts to help him find work.
Wade called the email: [Rimmer’s] She said it was “victimising”, “oppressive” and an unlawful breach of equality law – surprising behaviour from advisers who should have a better understanding of the difficulties faced by disability claimants, she suggested.
She said the staff emails would deter vulnerable people from making legitimate complaints, adding: “This is the kind of email and behaviour that would make anyone receiving services from an employment agency fear that they will be retaliated against by employment coaches or anyone else if they challenged.”
Chief executive Nick Whittingham said: Kirklees Citizens Advice and Legal CentreAdvised Mr. Rimmer, Court ruling “This is a sign of systemic failure at the DWP. “This case sheds light on how the DWP treats disability benefit claimants and is particularly important given the current political rhetoric,” he said.
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Last month the government announced plans to cut benefits to 420,000 sick and disabled people to force them to work. Ministers say disability benefit recipients should be able to turn to specialist employment agency support services to maximise their chances of finding work.
DWP staff found Mr Rimmer’s behaviour at times rude and difficult to deal with, but the judge said the failure to provide ongoing specialist support was “particularly at a time when the DWP was enjoying national pride”. Development of accessibility services for hearing-impaired claimants – Naturally, he was annoyed.
In his ruling earlier this month, the judge said it was “ashamed” the DWP had failed to apologise to Mr Rimmer at any stage. He recommended that Park Place’s employment coaches undergo disability awareness training. The DWP declined to comment on whether it had since apologised.
A DWP spokesman said: “We are considering the ruling. We are committed to providing an accessible service. Most people who apply for health and disability benefit report having a good experience and where customers need assistance we strive to make reasonable adjustments to meet their individual needs.”
