| National Coalition against the Welfare Reform Bill launches |
| 19/09/2006 |
| Come and march with us at the Labour party conference. The Disabled Students campaign has policy against the proposed welfare reform and, as such, will be taking part in the stroll/roll against the proposals at the Labour party conference in Manchester. Please feel free to come along and demonstrate with us! For further information, feel free to drop me an email on alex.kemp@nus.org.uk National Coalition against the Welfare Reform Bill launches. ?In response to the Govt's Welfare Reform Bill*, a new high profile and proactive disabled people led coalition: the 'Coalition Against The Welfare Reform Bill (CAWRB) has been created to oppose and challenge the Bill: A bill that will see disabled people lose benefits, housing benefit abolished, disabled people pushed into unsuitable work, and possibly forced to undertake certain medical treatments. The Coalition A extremely wide and diverse grouping, the new coalition comprises many different user led disability groups: it includes the British Council of Disabled People (BCODP) which represents some 80 groups run by disabled people in the UK which between them have a total membership of around 350,000 disabled people, UK Coalition of People living with HIV and AIDs, National Union of Journalists (Disabled Members' Council) Spinal Injury Association, Disabled Peoples Action Network (DAN) People First, Trade Union Disability Alliance, Spinal Injury Association, Network, Developmental Adult Neuro-Diversity Association, People First, Alliance for Inclusive Education, Sheffield Welfare Action Network and many many more. CHALLENGE THE INCAPACITY BENEFIT CUTS! The new Welfare Reform Bill, which was introduced on July 24th will seriously affect disabled peoples lives as many of us will be forced to take paid or unpaid work in organizations where prejudice and widespread disabilism still exist in spite of anti discrimination legislation. Under the Welfare Reform Bill, a new Employment and Support Allowance will replace incapacity benefit but, for the first time ever disabled people will have benefit conditions forced upon them to seek work which they may feel unable to do, may not want to do or is in totally inaccessible work places. These conditions could lead to disabled peoples benefits being cut which would lead to more poverty. CALL FOR NO SANCTIONS The effect will make disabled people feel more fearful of an increasingly inflexible benefit system. We do not think attaching 'work' conditions to benefits is the answer. The answer is to give more disabled people an opportunity to take up paid work when they are ready to do so. FOR A DECENT DISABILITY WELFARE SYSTEM We demand Government quickly rethink this damaging policy and that welfare reform is tackled from a social model of disability approach by: ?
?The Coalition Against the Welfare Reform Bill Stroll/Roll, Rally against the Welfare Reforms, Manchester Labour Party Conference. 25th September 2006 Stroll/Roll: 3pm at Exchange Square, (opposite Arndale Centre) on Corporation St Rally/Static Protest: 4 pm G-MEX centre on Lower Mosley St. (LP Conference location) L/P Conference Fringe Meeting and Launch: 8.00 PM Novatel Hotel, Portland St, Chetham Suite) CAWRB - e-mail: cawrb@welfare-reform.org.uk The Blogs on this site represent the individual views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of the National Union of Students. All links in blogs will open in a new browser window. The permanent URL for this specific blog entry is: http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/alexkemp/273001.aspx |
