There is now a new broad and national campaign to raise awareness of the welfare counter reforms, which will impact on disabled students, to take action against them and to make M.P’s etc, aware there are concerns about them. There is a open letter in the Observer on Sunday which challenges all the reforms signed by union leaders, anti-poverty charities and others. On Tuesday, they hope to send another more broader one out which will include more Unions, charities, authors, artists, academics celebrities and others.

The Open Letter

This is an urgent and important call for help. There have been a number of concerns raised in recent weeks over the government’s planned welfare reforms which are set to become a key part of next week’s Queen’s Speech. Compass working with PCS,GMB the TUC and others wants to launch a major statement and foster as much support voicing concern over some of the government’s proposals as soon as possible. See the draft statement below.

.
Please respond by 2pm on Tuesday 2 December to  Zoe@compassonline.org.uk . The statement and the names will then be given to the press and publicised as widely as possible.

Please circulate this email as widely as possible. Many thanks and we hope for your support.

Jonathan Rutherford (www.compassonline.org.uk)

---

Welfare for all

The welfare state is one of the UK's greatest achievements and supports us all especially vulnerable and unemployed people and their families.

In July the government published the green paper ‘No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility’ announcing plans to change the current provision of support.

Many of the plans were unacceptable when they were first published and the worsening economic situation should lead to a fundamental rethink. However the government is pressing ahead despite the current global economic downturn which is leading to increasing levels of unemployment. As a result we have come together to oppose the plans and to put forward an alternative.

The government’s proposals remove entitlements and fail to value the important work of parents and carers. Parents with young children, carers, sick, disabled, people with mental health problems and other vulnerable groups face tougher tests to qualify for benefits. If they fail they could be cut off with no support.

We are opposed to the abolition of Income Support which ends the principle that those in need deserve help. We are opposed to compulsory work for benefits. People should be paid the rate for the job or at the very least be paid the national minimum wage.

Jobseekers Allowance is shockingly low at less than £10 a day, if it had increased in line with earnings over the past 30 years the rate for a single person over the age of 25 would be more than £100 a week.

The government wants more of the welfare state to be handed over to the private sector. It is wrong to profit from the sick and unemployed.

We want voluntary skills training and life long learning opportunities for unemployed people. The government should focus on ensuring that there is more support to access jobs that have fair pay and decent conditions with a guarantee that when people cannot seek work they will not face poverty.

The government should introduce positive measures to challenge discriminatory attitudes held by employers, encourage flexible working practices and expand the provision of affordable childcare.


We want the government to rethink its plans. Support our campaign to help create a better welfare state and society.


The Observer Letters

Welfare reforms have whiff of the workhouse

We were surprised and saddened to see The Observer endorse, even with qualifications, the government's draconian welfare reforms (Leader, last week). These reforms are not about compassion. They are more about cutting benefit budgets to aid the Treasury and creating revised demarcations of the 'deserving and undeserving poor'. Even in good economic times, they are invasive and unnecessary; now, in a time of crisis, they have the smell of the workhouse about them. The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) asserts: 'Some groups will actually be worse off under the new Employment Support Allowance [ESA] by as much as £400 a year.'

Many disabled people on benefits are feeling frightened, demonised and unwanted with the emphasis on work as the only option. Most disabled people do want to work. What is required is genuine welfare reform that puts the individual claimant at the centre, not just as a profit vehicle for private companies.


John Rogers
Sheffield Welfare Action Network



Parents with young children, carers, sick, disabled, people with mental health problems and other vulnerable groups face tougher tests to qualify for benefits. If they fail, they could be cut off with no support.

We are opposed to the abolition of income support which ends the principle that those in need deserve help. We are opposed to compulsory work for benefits. People should be paid the rate for the job or at the very least be paid the national minimum wage. The government wants more of the welfare state to be handed over to the private sector. It is wrong to profit from the sick and unemployed. There is also the intention to share information with the police which raises real concerns about civil liberties.

The government should introduce measures to challenge discriminatory attitudes held by employers, encourage flexible working practices and expand the provision of affordable childcare.

We want the government to rethink its plans. Support our campaign to help create a better welfare state and society.
Neal Lawson, chair, Compass
Mark Serwotka, general secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
Paul Kenny, general secretary, GMB
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU)
Colin Hampton, National Unemployed Centres Combine
Eileen Devaney, national co-ordinator, UK Coalition Against Poverty
Iman Achara, director, British Black Anti-Poverty Network
Peter Kelly, director, The Poverty Alliance, Scotland
and 24 others