Category: sanctions

No To Sanctions!

no sanctions

Benefit sanctions are one more way of trying to keep us under the rule of the 1%.  But we’re not staying down any more.

More and more people are facing benefit sanctions; 2 million people have had their money stopped in the past 2 years.  That’s 2 million people, many of whom have been plunged into poverty, unable to heat their homes or even eat.  How is this meant to help prepare people for work?  How can we tolerate this when we know the 1% have and control all the money?  When tax dodgers, bankers, corporate profiteers and the politicians who work for them get away, robbing us all with austerity?
Our city is taking ACTION on 19 March.  Join us at 12pm at Hartshead Square, Sheffield city centre, outside the Jobcentre Plus office.
If you would like to speak at the action or have any ideas to make the day creative and bold please let me know.
Benefit sanctions must be fought.

These sanctions are cruel and handed out for ridiculous reasons such as:
◾Arriving minutes late to a meeting
◾Not applying for jobs when waiting to start a new job!
◾Missing an appointment on the day of the funeral of a close family member.

This has to stop

Up and down the country on Thursday 19 March we will be protesting against the cruel use of sanctions.

FOUR ways to get involved:

1.Join an event near you on Thursday 19 March to stop benefit sanctions in your community.
2.Sign our petition calling on the government to stop using sanctions.
3.Share your story – we are looking for people who have been sanctioned to tell their story.
4.We want to show the reality and impact on people’s lives – show your support – share on Twitter and Facebook #No2Sanctions Like us on Facebook.

Sheffield event page here

Full List of Sanctions Protests in our Region

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Barnsley Sanctions Campaigners out raising awareness for the March 19th today.

Here is the Full List of Sanctions Protests in our Region. If you require further materials call The Leeds Regional Office on 0113 236 4830 or Email  claire.mawson@unitetheunion.org.

Here are a few useful links: http://www.unitetheunion.org/campaigning/stop-benefit-sanctions/

http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/northeastyorkshirehumberside/community-membership/in-defence-of-the-welfare-state/in-defence-on-the-welfare-state/

Teesside Anti Sanctions Protest. March 19th 12 o’clock Jobcentre Plus Employment Center Town Centre
Address: 79 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2BA.

Grimsby Anti Sanctions Protest. March 19th 12 o’clock Rally at Riverside Square.

Barnsley Anti Sanctions Protest. Meet Barnsley Town Centre (Out Side Boots the Chemist 34-40 Cheapside,
Barnsley S70 1RT) at 12.15 pm, For Protests at various Town Centre Locations.

Huddersfield
NO SANCTIONS FOR CLAIMANTS!!
NO TARGETS FOR STAFF!!
DEMONSTRATION AGAINST BENEFIT SANCTIONS
THURSDAY MARCH 19 2015
12.00 MIDDAY
UPPERHEAD ROW (NEAR THE BUS STATION)
HUDDERSFIELD.

Newcastle
Meet 12 O’clock
Newcastle City Jobcentre Plus,
1 Cathedral Square,
Mosley Street,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE1 1EE.

Leeds Unite Community Anti Sanctions Demo. Meet 12 O’Clock Address: 64 Briggate, Leeds LS1 6LH (Outside Body Shop) For Protests at various Town Centre Locations.
Bring Friends, Banners, Flags, Music, Noise and Imagination!

Sunderland Protest
60-66 John Street
Sunderland
United Kingdom
SR1 1QT
12 pm to 2 pm.

Doncaster Protest
Doncaster Crossgate House, Wood street  Doncaster DN1 3LL
11 am to 1pm.

Selby Anti Sanctions Demo
Unite the Union Anti Sanctions Demo
12 Noon Outside the Selby Job Centre
Flaxley Road YO8 3BH.

Sheffield No to Sanctions. Meet 12 noon at Hartshead Square S1 2FD outside Atos Assessment Centre for protests at various city centre locations No Sanctions for Claimants, No Targets for Staff.

Redcar Protest. 10 a.m. – Redcar Jobcentre Plus, Portland House, West Dyke Road, TS10 1DH.

Stockton Protest. 2 p.m. – Stockton Jobcentre Plus, Bridge Road, TS18 3BW.

Barnsley - Copy

NEY&H Anti Sanctions Protests

We are now up to Ten Anti Sanctions Protests in our Region (Selby and Sheffield just made 9 and 10).

Teesside Anti Sanctions Protest
March 19th 12 o’clock
Jobcentre Plus
Employment Center . Town Centre
Address: 79 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2BA

Grimsby Anti Sanctions Protest
March 19th 12 o’clock
Rally at Riverside Square

Barnsley Anti Sanctions Protest
Meet Barnsley Town Centre (Out Side Boots the Chemist 34-40 Cheapside,
Barnsley S70 1RT) at 12.15 pm, For protests at various Town Centre Locations.

Huddersfield Anti Sanctions Protest
NO SANCTIONS FOR CLAIMANTS!!
NO TARGETS FOR STAFF!!
DEMONSTRATION AGAINST BENEFIT SANCTIONS
THURSDAY MARCH 19 2015
12.00 MIDDAY
UPPERHEAD ROW (NEAR THE BUS STATION)
HUDDERSFIELD

Newcastle Anti Sanctions Protest
Meet 12 O’Clock
Newcastle City Jobcentre Plus,
1 Cathedral Square,
Mosley Street,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE1 1EE.

Leeds Unite Community Anti Sanctions Demo
Meet 12 O’Clock Address: 64 Briggate, Leeds LS1 6LH
(Outside Body Shop) For Protests at various Town Centre Locations.
Bring Friends, Banners, Flags, Music, Noise and Imagination!

Sunderland Anti Sanctions Protest
60-66 John Street
Sunderland
United Kingdom
SR1 1QT
12 pm to 2 pm

Doncaster Anti Sanctions Protest
Doncaster Crossgate House, Wood street  Doncaster DN1 3LL
11 am to 1pm

Selby Anti Sanctions Demo
Unite the Union Anti Sanctions Demo
12 Noon Outside the Selby Job Centre
Flaxley Road YO8 3BH

Sheffield No to Sanctions
Meet 12 noon at Hartshead Square S1 2FD outside Atos Assessment Centre for protests at various city centre locations.
No Sanctions for Claimants, No Targets for Staff

Sanctions Demonstrations

We so far have six Sanctions Protests arranged in our region with the promise of more to follow.

The NEY&H Region of Unite so far have six Anti-Sanctions Demonstrations planned, please see the leaflet below. Contact Claire.mawson@unitetheunion.org to order more leaflets or get in touch with joe.rollin@unitetheunion.org to find out how you can help make these demonstrations a success or to arrange your own. If you are planning your own demonstration on the day get in touch ASAP, the clock is ticking and we don’t want you to miss out on materials.

Unite Community have already started to organise on a national level here is a link to our National Stop Sanctions Website.

Our National Facebook Page here.

And our # for the day is #No2Sanctions please remember to use this on all you Tweets.

We also have created a Regional Webpage here.

And Our Regional Community Centres are also hubs for information materials and action!  Check Them Out!!!

Barnsley CSC

Durham CSC

Leeds CSC

Barnsley

Unite takes action against government attacks on ‘vulnerable’ benefit claimants

Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, will kick start a nationwide campaign tomorrow (Wednesday 4 February) against benefit sanctions which are pushing people into poverty and punishing debt.

The campaign, to stop benefit sanctions, will be launched on the same day that the House of Commons work and pensions committee questions Esther McVey, the minister for employment, over the government’s sanctions regime.

Unite is angry over the way the government imposes benefit sanctions to ‘vulnerable’ claimants – leaving millions of people in poverty, debt, ill health and angry.

On Thursday 19 March, Unite is calling for trade unions, charities and community campaigners up and down the country to take part in a ‘National Day of Action’ with Unite Community Membership, as part of the campaign.

Unite head of community membership, Liane Groves, said: “It is no wonder people are angry. The government has hit millions of vulnerable people and their families with benefit sanctions – causing the rise of food bank Britain.

“Sanctions are cruel and ineffective – often handed out for no good reason.

“We want to send a message to Esther McVey and Westminster that the government is failing to support vulnerable people in our society.  More needs to be done to support us all in time of need – not make personal situations worse.

“Thursday 19 March is a national day of action to highlight the ‘shocking’ impact of government benefit sanctions – we must join forces to stop this now before more people are forced into poverty.”

Protest against sanctions

Unite Community link up with TSM and the People’s Assembly to protest against sanctions today! Held outside the Job Centre on Middlesborough, Unite Community plan a march through the city on Saturday. More here.

Sanctions Inquiry

job centre plus in glasgow
Unite Community members welcome to the inquiry into the cruel sanctions programme that has been forcing the most vulnerable in our society into the hands of loan sharks, and becoming reliant on hand outs from food banks.

We also realise that without pressure from campaigners that this will not be enough to reverse the tide of cruel and unnecessary welfare reforms that tries to blame the poorest in society for the problems caused by those with the most wealth. Unite Community members will keep up our support for those falling foul of this upside down system, whilst at the same time organising our communities to fight back.

More info here.