DISABLED workers raised the perils of appraisal and performance systems yesterday.

Delegates to the TUC disabled workers’ conference warned that bosses’ assessment programmes can provide fertile ground to discriminate in the workplace.

“More and more cases are coming to light where capability procedures are brought in far too quickly,” said National Union of Teachers (NUT) delegate Kiran Mohan.

“It’s younger newer employers, especially in schools, that seem to be taking this easier route.”

The TUC has raised fears that these evaluations are gradually being used to sack people in order to reach government targets.

Senior civil servants’ union FDA’s David Chrimes believed that “as austerity bites we all notice quantity becoming more important than quality.”

And delegates from RMT and Unite told conference that the necessary adjustments to workplaces to accommodate disabled people weren’t being taken into account.

Conference overwhelmingly voted to mandate the TUC to push for different appraisal procedures for workers with disabilities.

Delegates also pushed for bosses to receive discrimination training when carrying out performance assessments.

“Wouldn’t it be great to ask to appraise our ministers and the jobs they are not doing?,” said Ms Mohan, as the audience broke into laughter and applause.

She said the disabled workers’ committee was here to emphasise the role of unions in battling prejudice in the workplace.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the support of my union,” she added.

The debate came shortly after conference threw its support behind a motion on discrimination against disabled prison workers.