Tag: dwp

Disabled People to Target Maximus

‘Stop the Work Capability Assessment’ – that’s the demand from disability campaigners in Sheffield as they prepare to take action against the government’s new ‘fitness for work’ assessors Maximus.

The action by DPAC Sheffield is supported by Unite Community South Yorkshire and UKUncut Sheffield; up to 100 people will gather at 1pm on Monday, 2 March at Castle Square tram stop in Sheffield city centre followed by a march to the Maximus assessment centre at Hartshead Square.

Campaigners have already claimed victory in forcing the previous provider Atos out of the contract with DWP; they claim that Maximus is being paid twice as much for their contract whilst imposing judgements that have driven thousands of people to take their own lives after DWP removed their social security.

Protesters point out that this issue doesn’t only affect disabled people but also affects anyone who is injured or taken ill whilst working; Maximus are taking over NHS occupational health contracts that will affect working people signed-off as sick and unable to work.

Campaigners will be calling for NHS experts to take over all fitness for work and occupational health assessments.

Jennifer Dunstan of DPAC Sheffield said:

“ The Work Capability Assessment Scheme is a highly efficient government tool for getting deserving people off benefits and a frighteningly efficient way to drive those people to financial deprivation, starvation and suicide. The fact that long term disabled and sick people in receipt of benefits are being constantly used as a scape-goat, as a strain on the country’s finances is absolutely disgraceful, especially when you consider what a tiny percentage of the annual budget this represents.
It is alarming that this government is happier to actively target and sanction vulnerable people than it is to clamp down on and prosecute huge corporations like HSBC and other tax evaders. If they did, there would be no need for austerity. Being bombarded with stories of MPs complaining that they’re “scrabbling around” on £67,000 a year is offensive when we’re expected to survive below the poverty line. That’s what this protest is about; it’s a matter of survival.”

Protesters will be supported by people taking action against workfare and benefit sanctions ahead of a further action taking place later in March.

Stuart Smith of Unite Community South Yorkshire said:

“Our union keeps meeting people with “hidden” disabilities like mental health problems or dyslexia who are getting their benefits stopped through sanctions. This robs them of their dignity and makes it even harder for them to find work. It looks to us like some of the most vulnerable claimants are being picked on so that the DWP and Job Centres can reach their benefit sanction targets”.

Maximus HQ in Toronto, Canada will also be targeted by protesters on the same day.

To PCS Members in Barnsley DWP office

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On 19 March Unite Community will be demonstrating outside the Barnsley DWP office to highlight the Coalition Government’s unfair and unjustified attacks on the benefits system and on the unemployed, the sick and disabled and their families who rely on these benefits.

We ask you to support the action in any way you can. I want to emphasise that this demonstration is not aimed at DWP employees/PCS members who we know are under similar attack from this Government in terms of redundancy threat and squeeze on pay and conditions. We want to make common cause with you as out fight is your fight and vice versa.

Instead this demonstration is aimed at the Government’s savage policy of cutting the £30 billion out of the benefits system and forcing people of benefits through measures like the cruel sanctions regime and the discredited Work Capability Assessment.

Job 6837 Sanctions A4 poster
Job 6837 SANCTIONS A5 v2 leaflet newest
Job 6837 Sanctions stickers newest

Solidarity with PCS picket lines

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Unite Community members today supported the PCS picket lines strengthening our links. We understand the pressures facing staff whilst at the same time supporting our communities suffering from the cruel and unnecessary welfare reforms.

We will have a much greater chance of defeating the ConDem’s austerity policies if we can link the struggles of the unemployed with the struggles of workers. United we are strong!

An example of our joint work here.


Leeds Unite Community Members In Action

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Leeds Unite Community members teamed up with Hands Off Our Homes today, to leaflet two of the city’s Job Centres simutaniously (not bad for a rainy Friday!). Here is the leaflet we put in. The Bed Room Tax Tool Kit also goes down well when we do our sampaign stalls, here.  All these materials are available from your coordinator Joe Rollin. Why not organise a stall in your Town? As always we put a letter into the Job Centre showing our solidarity with the PCS members.

This week on Friday the 1st of August, Unite Community will be holding an information stall outside the Leeds DWP Jobcentre Plus office, to highlight the Coalition Government’s unfair and unjustified attacks on the benefits system and on the unemployed, the sick and disabled, as well as their families who rely on these benefits.

We ask you to support the action in any way you can. I want to emphasise that this Information stall is not aimed at DWP employees/PCS members who we know are under similar attack from this Government in terms of job cuts, increased threats of disciplinary measures and a squeeze on pay and conditions. We want to make common cause with you as our fight is your fight and vice versa.

Instead this Info Stall is aimed at the Government’s savage policy of cutting £30 billion out of the benefits system and forcing people off benefits through measures like the cruel sanctions regime and the discredited Work Capability Assessment.

Yours in Solidarity

Leeds Unite Community Branch

 

Barnsley Unite Community Members leaflet Job Centre

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Barnsley Unite Community Members leafleted the Job Centre today to inform claimants about their rights if sanctioned. The sanctions leaflet can be read here.

And also to let the people of Barnsley know about what services we have on offer in the Community Centre. For example, our weekly computer class and library.

We met one lady who was sanctioned after she turned up late to sign on, as her brother passed away last night. As well as numerous workers who had been sacked without notice from agency work, we must carry on our vital work within our communities and spread the message of solidarity.

We also handed a letter to PCS staff explaining our intentions (see below). Please get in touch if your group or branch needs materials to run your own stall.

To PCS Members in Barnsley DWP office

This week on Tuesday the 15th of July Unite Community will be holding a stall outside the Barnsley DWP Jobcentre Plus office to highlight the Coalition Government’s unfair and unjustified attacks on the benefits system and on the unemployed, the sick and disabled and their families who rely on these benefits.

We ask you to support the action in any way you can. I want to emphasise that this stall is not aimed at DWP employees/PCS members who we know are under similar attack from this Government in terms of job cuts, increased threats of disciplinary measures and a squeeze on pay and conditions. We want to make common cause with you as our fight is your fight and vice versa.

Instead this information stall is aimed at the Government’s savage policy of cutting £30 billion out of the benefits system and forcing people off benefits through measures like the cruel sanctions regime and the discredited Work Capability Assessment.

Yours in Solidarity

Barnsley Unite Community Branch

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‘Unintended’ housing benefit cuts hit tenants

17/01/2014 | By Paul Hebden

Councils are cutting off housing benefit payments to tenants who are entitled to receive them, as an unintended consequence of sanctions applied to other benefits.

 

Jobseeker’s allowance and employment support allowance claimants can have sanctions applied to their claims if they miss appointments or fail to do enough to find work. But many are also having their housing benefit cut, because they are unaware that they need to tell councils their financial circumstances have changed. Local authorities are stopping claims as a result.

 

Charities warn they are dealing with a rising number of housing benefit problems as the number of JSA and ESA sanctions soar – because many recipients don’t realise the reductions could affect their claim.

 

The number of sanctions against benefit claimants deemed not to be doing enough to find work increased to 860,000 in the year to June 2013, the highest for any 12-month period since statistics began to be recorded in their present form.

 

Housing associations have also reported anecdotal evidence of tenants falling into rent arrears as a consequence of housing benefit being cut off the back of another sanction.

Homelessness charities, including umbrella body Homeless Link and Crisis, have raised the problem with the Department for Work and Pensions. They are feeding into a review of the way sanctions are communicated, being carried out for the DWP by Matthew Oakley, a former economist at think tank Policy Exchange.

 

Katharine Sacks-Jones, head of policy and campaigns at Crisis, said: ‘People are not being advised that their housing benefit will be affected and that they may need to re-apply for it. Often they only realise there’s a problem when they are in arrears or facing eviction.

‘There needs to be clear communication between the different [council] benefit departments to prevent people’s housing benefit being affected by sanctions [applied elsewhere].’

In its evidence to the Oakley review, Homeless Link called on the DWP to ensure the potential impact of a sanction on a claimant’s housing benefit is explained – and how a claimant can avoid this happening.

A spokesperson for Circle Housing Group confirmed it was starting to hear ‘anecdotal’ evidence of problems as a result of sanctions being robustly applied.

A second association, that did not wish to be identified, confirmed it had seen similar problems.

 

A DWP spokesperson said that sanctions should not affect claimants’ housing benefit.

 

Benefit sanctions

 

860,000 sanctions issued by the Department for Work and Pensions in the year to June 2013

 

4.35% proportion of jobseeker’s allowance claimants sanctioned per month

2.60% equivalent proportion of sanctions under Labour between 2000 and 2010

Source: Department for Work and Pensions

Read an article about this issue in Inside Housing.