Workers with disabilities shared problems they were facing in workplaces and their demands at a meeting held by Nagoya City Workers’ Union on June 15. The meeting was organized as part of the union’s campaign to create workplaces more friendly to everyone and attended by 14 people including union members, officials from the Safety and Health Department and the Human Resource Department of the city.

　A worker who has a physical disability said, “I have no choice but to use my annual leave when I go to the hospital once every two months. I want the authorities to entitle another paid absence from work to employees with disabilities who need to go to the hospital.” Most of participants from the union said they had to go to the hospital to receive medical treatments or examinations regularly. Some of them needed to visit their nearby local office of the city for a couple of days to apply for the renewal of their disability certificate.

　Other union member said, “It was hard when my new boss had little understanding of workers with disabilities. I want my superiors to know about what I can do and what I can’t.” Another mentioned, “My internal disorders are not visually apparent to others. It would be nice if I have opportunities to talk about the state of my health with my colleagues.”

　Another union member said, “I want the city authorities to conduct training seminars for workers to deepen their understanding of the necessary of reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities or health conditions.” All the others nodded in agreement.