The following has been supplied by PCS HQ:
In the last year, the situation has worsened dramatically as the government has focused public outrage on benefit claimants and, in particular, disabled claimants. This has resulted in anxiety for many as they face It has never been so important to campaign for disabled rights and against disablism. Disabled people are at high risk of hardship and face significant barriers getting into work and education, the cuts making the situation worse, but there is plenty you can do to help prevent attacks on vital benefits and services trapping people in their homes and making employment even more difficult to secure.
Hostility rising
To make matters worse, research conducted by the charity Scope showed the portrayal of disabled people as scroungers by the government, also termed the ‘backdrop of negativity’, has lead to a rise in hostility and violence toward the most vulnerable in society.
In the face of this onslaught, the past year has seen an unprecedented rise in the profile of disability campaigns. In response to the attacks on benefits a coalition of charities, trade unions and others joined in the Hardest Hit marches. In May 8,000 people took to the streets of Westminster and in October protestors up and down the country demonstrated against the cuts to benefits and services. PCS had a great turnout at both marches and MP Anne Begg, a member of the PCS parliamentary cuts to vital benefits and services.
The statistics on poverty and employment and education are alarming. Disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as non-disabled people and nearly half of disabled people have no savings at all as compared to 12% of the general population.
About 50% of disabled people of working age are in work compared with 80% of non disabled people, and once in work the average gross hourly pay for disabled employees is £1.22 less than that of non disabled employees. It is in this context that the government plans to strip many disabled people of crucial benefits and services. The three main cuts targeting the disabled are 20% off the disability living allowance, mobility payments for people in residential care, and payments of contributory employment allowance for those trying to get back to work. This will mean pushing more disabled people into poverty.
