Fighting discrimination against workers with cancer

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Human Rights Association will fight all forms of discrimination against people with terminal illnesses, a senior official told Gulf News on Monday.

"The Human Rights Association has received several complaints from people who were diagnosed with breast cancer and fired for no reason but their illness," said Mariam Al Ahmadi, Chairperson of the Workers' Rights Committee at the association.

Al Ahmadi added the association had managed to reinstate a number of such workers, "but we will work hard to eliminate discrimination against people with terminal illnesses, especially breast cancer at this stage."

The association, she said, found that hundreds of women were reluctant to undergo checkups to detect breast cancer for fear of being sacked if their tests returned positive.

"This finding prompted a survey to be conducted among skilled and non-skilled workers across the UAE to spot any form of discrimination against people with terminal illnesses and get suggestions from them on how the problem can be addressed," she added.

Al Ahmadi said the findings of the survey will be published next month to coincide with the launch of a campaign to fight breast cancer, co-sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

"Employers, service providers and education providers are often afraid of how to manage people's experience of, or recovery from, cancer," Al Ahmadi explained.

She added that accessing work, staying in work, accessing services and educational opportunities can be difficult for people with breast cancer, as they have to manage their condition while facing hurdles caused by such fear and lack of information.

Mohammad Al Hammadi, secretary general of the UAE Human Rights Association, said the move is intended to end discrimination against such people and break down structural and attitudinal barriers.

"We have distributed more than 1,000 questionnaires among skilled and non-skilled workers," said Al Hammadi.

"We sought information from persons with breast cancer and asked them whether they think they have been discriminated against at work because of the diagnosis of cancer."

If workers have cancer or have had cancer, the Labour Law makes it unlawful for them to be discriminated against in employment, according to Ministry of Labour officials.

"Temporary absence from work for examination or treatment of cancer is not a valid reason for ending the service of a worker with such an illness," said an official.

"An employer can be sued for arbitrary dismissal if a worker with cancer is sacked because of his or her illness."

400,000 women die every year

The Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will join in an international initiative scheduled to start next month for breast cancer awareness and research so that women in the UAE can share the optimism of women elsewhere, said Mariam Al Ahmadi, chairman of the Workers Rights Committee at the UAE Human Rights Association.

Each year, breast cancer affects 1.1 million women and claims 400,000 lives, according to the Breast Cancer Fund, a California-based advocacy group. Worse yet, many of these cases are diagnosed in the late stages, when full recovery is unlikely.

Despite this grim picture, Al Ahmadi says there is cause for optimism.

"In the UAE and many countries in the region, discussion of breast cancer no longer is a social taboo, and where cases are diagnosed in the early stages survival rates reach as high as 98 per cent."

The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which offers research grants and scientific and community outreach programs worldwide, will support the effort with educational resources.

Government agencies and civic organisations will aid in the effort. Breast cancer awareness will be included in civic organisations' health classes, and testing will be included in general health checkups for women.

To what extent can an organisation help an employee with termina illness? Do you know someone who has faced such a problem? What recourse did they seek? Should such companies be penalised? What further action can be taken? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form bellow to send your comments.