Our upcoming workshop on the Work Capability Reassessment

Are you or anyone you know having issues with ESA and/or WORK CAPABILITY REASSESSMENT?

You are not alone.

Find out what it is all about.

• Learn how many others are affected.

• Meet other people in similar situation.

• Gain support and feel
empowered.

Struggling with health issues and being forced back into work prematurely by the
Work Capability Reassessment???

Unfair decisions and lack of support???

WE CAN HELP

Come along and hear others’ experiences and share yours.

Have some solidarity.

Lets prepare for action.

The Kilburn unemployed workers group (KUWG) says:

Oppose the work Capability Reassessment

Come to our workshop:

Thursday 20/10/11
7-9 PM
Forester Hall (part of the Tricycle Cinema)
269 Kilburn High Rd
London
NW6 7JH

Free Entry

Ellenor Hutson of SERTUC (south eastern region of the trades union congress)
to lead everyone to have a chance to have their say.

Con-Dems have condemned all of us

A few articles on the real effects of cuts:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/sep/10/benefits-cap-make-children-homeless

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2011/sep/09/child-protection-council-spending-cuts

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/sep/09/gp-referrals-fall-stretched-nhs

An Open Letter to ATOS

An Open Letter to Atos Healthcare

Lisa Coleman
General Manager for the DWP Contracts
Atos Healthcare
4 Triton Square
Regent's Place
London, NW1 3HG

Dear Ms Coleman,

We the undersigned are seriously concerned by the fact that Atos Healthcare, the provider of the Work Capability Assessment for sickness benefits, has threatened legal action against the Internet hosting companies of three websites which circulated letters from sickness benefit claimants - 'Carerwatch', 'After Atos' and 'Atos Register of Shame' (now relaunched as 'A### the Truth').

These websites have given members of society who are often isolated and have traditionally found it difficult to take joint action, the chance to come together and share their experiences. We find it unacceptable that a large IT company, which receives £100m per year for their assessment of claimants, has deployed their legal department against individuals or small organisations who dared to circulate people’s comments and concerns about their treatment at Atos’ hands.

As acknowledged by both the recent Harrington Report and the Work and Pensions Select Committee, the Work Capability Assessment implemented by Atos Healthcare was found to be mechanistic and Atos’ ‘medical reports’ far too often did not reflect circumstances and discussions that had taken place during the assessments (Harrington Report, pp. 40-41). In addition, ESA claimants have now been told that twelve doctors working for Atos face being struck off for improper conduct, and other members of Atos’ staff are under investigation over allegations of obscene criticism of benefit claimants.

Atos Healthcare has given assurances that the shortcomings identified by the Harrington Report are being addressed. Yet many claimants are still experiencing the distress of poor and rushed medical assessments based on Atos Healthcare’s computer programme.

Amid growing concern that Atos Healthcare is failing to raise its methods and professionalism to acceptable standards, the company is now attempting to silence those claimants and their small organisations who have had the courage to speak up. At a time when we see that major corporations such as News International are able to use the threat of legal action to hide their wrongdoings, it is important that Atos’ actions are brought to account.

It is also the case that government bodies are unable to sue for libel. Atos' argument is that they are taking legal action to protect their business reputation, but in this case they are performing the work of the DWP, and receiving public money for doing it.

For these reasons, we ask that Atos withdraw all threats of libel action, that they publicly guarantee that they will not in future use the libel laws to close down criticism of their practices, and that they make a public apology to those individuals and websites which they have tried to silence.

Yours truly

Brighton Benefits Campaign
Tony Greenstein Brighton & Hove TUC Unemployed Centre
Caroline Lucas MP
Amanda Sebestyen Writer
Paul Smith Atos Victims Group
Holly Smith (President) Brighton and Hove Trades Union Council
Brighton Keep Our NHS Public
Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition
Brighton Disabled People Against Cuts
Ipswich Unemployed Action
Disabled People Against Cuts
False Economy
Southampton United for Pensions and Public Services
National Coalition for Independent Action
Redhill Coalition Against Cuts
Lewes Stop the Cuts
Art Uncut
DLA Help Group
The Broken of Britain
Winvisible
Suffolk Coalition for Public Services
Queer Resistance
Newport Trades Union Council
Cornwall Anti Cuts Alliance
Cornwall Disabled People Against Cuts
Oxford Save Our Services
Kilburn Unemployed Workers

More obstacles for the jobseekers

Could it get any harder to find a job in London???



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14831013

Putting the wealthy first

This government putting the wealthy first??? What else is new???


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/sep/01/nhs-http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifplans-put-wealthy-first

GIVE OUR KIDS A FUTURE

A few pics from "GIVE OUR KIDS A FUTURE" march.

Forget about the social fund!!!

We all have been in a position to have applied for a grant from JCP’s social fund. In the past the social fund covered urgent expenses such as buying furniture when moving into a new place, interview clothes and educational fees for adults. We have been told by our local JCP’s manager that this fund at least in our locality has been tapped out. I wouldn’t be surprised if the current government completely cancelled this fund across the nation in the near future. Even if they don’t do that we have been proven from our past experiences that they usually decline most clients’ claims for grants and instead issue a loan lower than the requested amount. Then the poor unfortunate benefit claimant has their benefits garnished to cover the loan and in most cases the deduction is a substantial chunk of their weekly income which makes it much harder to cope with the oceans of life expenses in this already economically miserable times. It is not a bad idea to utterly forget about the social fund. No worries there are other sources of funds in urgent situations. There are virtually hundreds of charitable trusts who provide grants for pretty much any cause. The process is very meticulous and might take close to 2 months but at least there are no strings attached and you won’t have to pay back a penny. All you need to do is do a search on the following websites or give them a call to find out what charities would provide funds for your specific need. Good luck folks!!!
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/grants_search.aspx
http://www.family-action.org.uk/section.aspx?id=77