TUC leader John Monks has hit out at firms for continuing to discriminate against disabled employees.

A TUC report has said that despite legislation outlawing discrimination, Britain's companies are continuing to deny people jobs on the grounds of disability

The 2001 Disability Discrimination Act ruled that employers should make adjustments for any disability for the best candidate for a job or for an existing staff member.

But the union research demonstrates that employers are still denying people with disabilities jobs and opportunities to use their skills.

Monks said health and safety concerns were being used by firms as an excuse for discrimination but that this would no longer wash.

"Safety is a poor excuse for discriminating against disabled people and it is not allowed by the law, which requires employers to remove the risks to people, not remove the people who may be at risk," he said.

The research shows that wheelchair users were being refused jobs because they would not be able to escape from a building during a fire, or could "get in the way" of colleagues.

Disability-related absence was also regarded as sickness absence by some employers, with knock-on effects for disciplinary procedures.