Page Content | Events
Features
Newswire
Publish
Links
Regions
Other IMCs
Search
Leeds Bradford IMC | UK IMC | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

(((i))) Leeds Bradford

Read It. Write It. DO IT!

Sheffield/Nation Wide Protest against the Incapacity Benefit reforms

SWAN | 25.01.2006 14:21 | Sheffield

protest sheffield/nationwide against the IB cuts.....

Sheffield Welfare Action Network


Sheffield/Nation Wide Protest against the Incapacity Benefit reforms.

Saturday 4 February, 1.00pm

Town Hall, Sheffield

Bring homemade placards, etc

there wll be speakers and some music, etc...

And

Call for simultaneous peaceful protests across the UK,

The Gov’t has finally announced what its plans are for incapacity benefit and claimants and in SWAN’s view, it is very very draconian and unpleasant. The changes are the biggest in welfare for over sixty years(see below), we are calling on all decent and caring people, claimants, campaigners, activists, faith groups, churches, individuals to support our call and peacefully protest in your locality


It’s going to get even tougher

There is to be an even tougher and brutal regime for most on incapacity benefit (IB) (it is extremely difficult to claim IB now.) Benefits will be cut by over 25.00 and will only rise when a claimant looks for work, there will be even more stringent medical assessments and tougher requirements to seek work or lose benefit. Employment advisers will be placed in G.P’s surgeries to ‘spy’ on the sick. Swan is already hearing from a number of disabled people who are terrified of these changes, they are saying that the ‘disability benefits‘regime is almost unbearable now’, and how can it be worse!

From the Guardian

‘'New claimants will face a tougher entry route and more demanding tests on the benefit, renamed the employment and support allowance.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1694168,00.html

Responses to the reforms

Already reactions are coming in: Macmillan Cancer Relief feared "workfare-style compulsion" for sick and disabled people, saying ‘it had already had to intervene to stop chemotherapy patients and those with a terminal diagnosis being called to work interviews’. Of course, people should have help when and if they are ready to go back to work, but what about the Employer, are they ready for this. SWAN will also ask why are the reforms ‘target led’ with the aim of getting one million back into work? If the reforms are so good , why does there have to be sanctions and co-ercion. This approach will mean many many thousands of the most vulnerable in our society who simply cannot work will face such co-ercion and harrassment. Further, where are all these jobs going to come from? unemployment is now rising and employers themselves admit they discriminate against people with disabilities. The figures the Govt gives are disengenous as well, fraud in IB is neglible (around 2% according to the DWP) and a large number of people who could claim (for example those with terminal illness) do not
even know they are eligible! Having work advisers in G.P surgeries will put added pressure on sick people and one can argue it will compromise the GP/patients relationship and is an infringement of civil liberties.

SWAN will campaign vigorously against these reforms and calls on all allies, friends, etc to do the same. Finally, those who would call diasabled people: scroungers, ‘leadswingers, etc, realise that 'these people' are not others, different, from outer space,they are us and one day, certainly as you age, it could be you.

Resources:

excellent balanced summary of the changes here.
 http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/benefits/unspun/36_employment_support_allowance.htm

Disability Alliance, challenging the myths,
 http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ibfact.doc

Sheffield Welfare Action Network
 http://www.swansheffield.org.uk
email  swansheffield@yahoo.co.uk
join the discusssion! send an email to  sheffieldwelfare-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Disability Alliance, challenging the myths,
 http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ibfact.doc





*note: it appears as if the Govt supports these
changes.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,1693994,00.html










__________________________________________________

SWAN
- e-mail: swansheffield@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.swansheffield.org

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. good news — SWAN

Write It
Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Search

The Common Place - Leeds The 1 in 12 club - Bradford The Trades Club - Hebden Bridge

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech