as the war on the poor continues with the Welfare Reform Bill, the Freud Review and now even lie detectors being trialled for benefit claimants....,
Major public meeting on the proposals in the Freud Review which include
*Single parents with children aged over 11 will have to seek jobs or else face potential benefit sanctions,
*increased privatisation with private employment companies offered bounties if they can keep claimants, whether lone parents or others such as those on incapacity benefit, in work for at least three years. Claimants would lose benefits if they left a brokered job before that time
*‘Intensive mentoring’ by involved agencies which could mean advisers pressuring claimants by constantly ringing them up at up home or even visiting them in their homes.
*Greater use of private and voluntary sector resources and expertise so harder-to-help benefit claimants receive more employment support.
PUBLIC MEETING
The PCS Union will be holding a meeting about the Freud Review on the 25th April @ House of Commons, 5-6:30pm.
"We wish to bring together on the platform a range of stakeholders to discuss the current welfare reform proposals and respond to the Freud Report. We also want to use this event as an opportunity to open up a dialogue with fellow organisations and individuals who share our concerns"..
The speakers are -
Paul Dornan from the Child Poverty Action Group, Kevin Flynn Chair of the Unemployed Workers Centres Combine, Ju Gosling Co-Chair of the Trade Union Disability Alliance, Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary
Terry Rooney MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Parliamentary Select Committee will be chairing the event.
PCS will also be publishing a response to the Freud Report.
contact the PCS Union or email
Louisefeminista@btinternet.com for details 
Comments
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Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
13.04.2007 11:11
jargon buster
New attacks must be resisted - no excuses this time
13.04.2007 13:36
Union members, many of which already implement the vicious Job Seekers Allowance policies of 11 years ago, are the ones who are going to be doing the government's bidding if these things become policy. These 'workers' will need to be aware of their untenable positions, which will become no better than those of the bailiffs who are, under another new bill (Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill), due to be given new powers to force entry into homes for debt and fines collection.
So, we can only hope this meeting doesn't involve any more whining about how just doing their jobs might make job centre staff need more protection against angry claimants. If this bill goes through, nothing less than outright refusal to implement it will do.
Nottingham Claimants Action
Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/ncajsa