If you’ve ever dealt with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the UK, you probably know it as the institution responsible for benefits, pensions, and support for job seekers. But behind the scenes, there’s a different story unfolding, one that paints a worrying picture about how the DWP treats its own employees, especially those with disabilities.

Over the past several years, the DWP has built up a concerning record: it has lost more employment tribunals for disability discrimination than any other employer in the UK. That’s right, the very department tasked with supporting disabled people has been repeatedly found guilty of unlawfully discriminating against its own disabled staff. So how did we get here? And what’s being done about it? Let’s dive into the facts.

A Pattern of Tribunal Losses

Between 2016 and 2019, a BBC Panorama investigation uncovered that DWP employees brought 134 disability discrimination claims against the department. Out of those, the DWP lost 17 cases in tribunal, that’s roughly 13% of all claims. For context, the average loss rate for UK employers is around 3%.

Those 17 cases don’t include the 45 settlements where the DWP paid out compensation before a tribunal could make a ruling. In total, DWP paid over £950,000 to settle or compensate disabled staff between 2016 and early 2020.

And that’s not even the whole story. Investigative journalism and Freedom of Information requests later revealed that by 2021, the number of tribunal defeats had risen to at least 23. Disability News Service

Not Just Numbers: Real People, Real Harm

One of the most high-profile cases involved a former employee, Ms. Victoria Giwa-Amu, who was awarded £386,000 after an employment tribunal found she had been subjected to racial and age discrimination while working for the DWP. The tribunal described the department’s behavior as having created an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.” Civil Service World

The implications of these cases go far beyond financial penalties. They highlight a persistent issue with how disabled employees are treated in a department that is supposed to be a national leader in supporting equality.

DWP: A Disability Confident Employer?

Adding irony to injury, the DWP is also the promoter of the government’s Disability Confident scheme, an initiative designed to help employers support disabled people in the workplace. Yet the department’s own track record seems to undermine the values the scheme is meant to uphold.

Disability rights groups have called this out. Disability Rights UK said, “It is a bitter irony that the DWP is the lead government department for the Disability Confident scheme.”

And they’re right. How can an employer credibly champion disability inclusion when it’s repeatedly found to be discriminating against its own disabled staff?

What’s the Response Been?

When the Panorama investigation aired in 2020, the DWP said it was “shocked” by the figures. It promised to review its internal procedures and make improvements. Among the steps the department said it was taking:

• Updating training for managers on disability rights
• Revising sickness absence policies
• Working with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) to assess its HR processes
• Setting up listening sessions and employee networks to support disabled staff

Sounds good on paper. But in practice? Critics argue the changes haven’t gone far enough or fast enough. The Independent reported in 2024 that DWP was still “racking up” tribunal losses.

What Makes the DWP Stand Out?

The DWP isn’t the only government department that has faced discrimination claims. In 2019, for example, the Home Office settled a case with 49 staff members over alleged age and race discrimination, paying out over £1 million. But that case was settled out of court, without tribunal judgments.

What makes the DWP unique is the sheer number of tribunal losses, confirmed by court rulings. According to the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, the DWP had more disability discrimination cases and more losses than any other UK employer, including private sector giants and other Whitehall departments. House of Commons Committee Letter

Even accounting for its size (with over 80,000 staff), the DWP’s loss rate in tribunals is four times higher than the national average.

What Does This Mean for Employees?

Tribunal cases are often a last resort. Taking your employer to court is a stressful, expensive, and drawn-out process. Most employees, especially disabled ones, only pursue this route when they feel unheard, unsupported, and out of options.

So, the fact that so many DWP employees have taken this step and won, says a lot about the workplace culture. As one MP put it during a 2020 debate in Parliament: “Is the Secretary of State shocked by her Department’s own disability tribunal record, given that it should be leading by example?” Hansard Debate, 9 March 2020

It’s a valid question.

Moving Forward: Real Change or Window Dressing?

The DWP says it’s committed to change. It acknowledges that even if only a small percentage of its disabled employees have filed claims (just over 1%), that number is “still too high.” That’s true. But fixing a culture of discrimination takes more than policy tweaks or one-off training sessions. It requires leadership, accountability, and a genuine commitment to listening to staff.

Some ideas that experts and campaigners have proposed:

• Independent oversight of how the DWP handles internal grievances
• Public reporting of discrimination claims and outcomes
• Stronger support networks and mental health services for disabled employees
• Leadership accountability, where senior staff are evaluated (and held responsible) for diversity outcomes

It remains to be seen whether these suggestions will be taken seriously. But one thing is clear: for the DWP to rebuild trust, both inside and outside the organisation, it must do more than talk the talk.

Final Thoughts

It’s deeply troubling that the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions, the institution responsible for supporting some of the country’s most vulnerable people, has itself become a leading violator of workplace equality laws.

The people working within the DWP deserve better. So do the millions of disabled people across the UK who rely on it. If the department truly wants to set a national example, it must confront its past, change its present, and commit to a fairer future.

Let’s hope it does.

Sources and Further Reading:

• BBC Panorama
• Disability News Service – Ongoing Discrimination Cases
• Civil Service World – £386k Discrimination Award
• The Independent – 2024 Update
• Disability Rights UK – DWP Criticism
• Parliamentary Letter – Work and Pensions Committee
• Hansard – Parliamentary Debate (March 2020)

The Toolbox: 9 Ways to Fight Back Without Moving to Mars

1. Shelter England – england.shelter.org.uk — 0808 800 4444.
2. Citizens Advice Redditch & Bromsgrove – citizensadviceredditch.org.uk.
3. TSUK Letters Templates – TenantSupportUK.com
4. ACORN Community Union – acorntheunion.org.uk.
5. Generation Rent – generationrent.org.
6. Renters Reform Coalition – rentersreformcoalition.co.uk.
7. Housing Ombudsman Service – housing-ombudsman.org.uk.
8. Redditch Borough Council Housing Solutions – redditchbc.gov.uk/housing or call 01527 587 000.
9. Tenancy Deposit Schemes – depositprotection.com (DPS) • tenancydepositscheme (TDS) • mydeposits.co.uk (MyDeposits)

Tenant Support UK