Government Policy is Promoting Suicides

The following has been supplied by the TUC:

The UK recession has led to a sharp rise in suicides, a new study has found. The researchers warn that the government's austerity programme is not worth the human cost and efforts should instead centre on job creation. Their paper, published this week on the bmj.com website, says suicides began to rise in 2008 following 20 years of decline. It estimates 846 more male suicides and 155 more female suicides took place between 2008 to 2010 than would have been expected if previous trends had continued. Each annual 10 per cent increase in the number of unemployed was associated with a 1.4 per cent increase in the number of male suicides. There was a small reduction in suicides in 2010, following a slight recovery in male employment, although numbers were still above the 2007 figure. The researchers from Liverpool and Cambridge universities and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine took data on suicides from the National Clinical and Health Outcomes Database (NCHOD) covering the years 2000-2010, and unemployment statistics were taken from Office of National Statistics figures on the number of people claiming benefits. The researchers say 'although the initial economic shock of the recession does increase suicide risk, policies that promote re-employment may reverse this trend'. They warn 'the human cost of continued high levels of unemployment will outweigh the purported benefits of budget cuts'.

Assessment Company Criticised by TUC

The following has been supplied by the TUC:

A report from the National Audit Office has said that the Department for Work and Pensions has failed to penalise private provider Atos for 'under-performance' on the contract to manage the Work Capability Assessment for Employment and Support Allowance. In addition, the DWP had not set 'sufficiently challenging targets'. In response to the report Labour MP Tom Greatrex asked the NAO to review the contract, and there was widespread media reporting of the reply he received from the Comptroller and Auditor General. Mr Greatrex pointed out that the contract, which is for 738,000 assessments, is worth £112 million a year, but that appeals against the test results are costing £60 million a year. He said 'People who are genuinely sick and disabled need to be helped, not hounded'. Journalists from the BBC, who had seen the letter from the Auditor General, reported that it said that it was difficult to assess whether the quality of the test or its design was responsible for the fact that nearly 40 per cent of appeals against ESA decisions were successful. TUC Senior welfare expert Richard Exell said 'With appeals adding more than fifty per cent to the bill from Atos, this episode illustrates the risks of privatisation and contracting-out. The Work Capability Assessment is a terrible example of how not to design and implement welfare reform - re-testing is an embarrassment for the government, a headache for the DWP and a nightmare for claimants.' The DWP had previously admitted that Atos had not carried out some fitness testing within the agreed time limits, and performance had been "below the standard" since mid-2011.

Preston Guild Trades Procession

Preston Trades Council has supplied us with the following information:

Preston Guild Trades Procession
Saturday 1st Sept 2012
11:00 from Adelphi Street, Preston.

Union members affilliated to Preston and South Ribble Trade Unions Council are invited to join the procession for Preston Guild 2012. This is a once-in-20-years opportunity to promote the work that the trade unions do by taking part in a tradition which dates back to 1762.

If your Union Branch is affiliated to the Preston and South Ribble Trades Council you are invited to bring your own banners and join us with your family and friends behind the Trade Council banner and float. This is likely to be one of the most photographed events in Preston for years to come. Lets make it an event for trade union members to remember for many years.

Our Muster point is station 48 Harrington Street (off Adelphi Street) PR1 7BN, between 9.45 and 10.15. Adelphi Street will close to traffic from 9.00am.

Jobcentre Strike over Oppressive Targets

The following has been supplied by the TUC:

Jobcentre staff took strike action this week over oppressive working conditions and unrealistic targets. On 13 August, more than 6,000 PCS members in 32 call centres in England, Scotland and Wales reignited industrial action first taken last year against 'draconian conditions' they say prevent them from providing the kind of service callers require and deserve. PCS says despite negotiations and a review of services designed to ease the excessive target-driven culture, jobcentre management is still refusing to give staff the flexibility they need to deal with enquiries fully and professionally. A shortage of staff is also adding to problems, with hard-pressed staff encouraged to keep calls short to deal with the volume of queries. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: 'With unemployment remaining high and our economy in the grip of recession, it is shameful that jobcentre bosses are still refusing to let their staff provide the kind of help and advice that people need. These call centres provide a vital lifeline. Enquiries are often complicated, and people struggling to find their way around the benefits system are often understandably desperate and upset, but staff are being forced to end calls as quickly as possible just to meet an artificial target.' He added: 'Our members care about the services they provide and they want to be able to help people properly, not have to fob them off.'

The Redundancy Process Begins at Norcross...

...Your Help is Needed.

Dear Colleagues,

We are asking that all members write to the leaderships of the councils regarding the closure of the DWP Norcross site, and the fact that the redundancy process has now commenced for some members who are employed by the DWP’s contractors.

When the DWP Norcross site was announced to be closed on 27^th June 2012 PCS warned about the dangers of job losses and redundancies in the DWP and particularly in the DWP’s contractors areas. We doubted that all the jobs will be maintained in the Fylde if one very large site closes.

We asked the employer for assurances about all the DWP jobs and those of the contractors including, IT support, Catering, Messengerial, Security, and cleaners. We could not get a “no job losses assurance” for the DWP’s contractors.

When we met with the leadership of the Wyre Council on 28th May 2012 they were adamant that the guarantee of no job losses included the DWP’s contractors (catering, messengers, van drivers, security, cleaners etc). We explained to them who the contractors were and the type of work that they did and asked if they were absolutely sure that what they had was a “no job losses guarantee” in the DWP and including the DWP’s contractors. They indicated that they were but would check with the DWP.

As soon as the announcement was made the DWP’s official position in their manager’s brief and as reported in the media was “we will work with our suppliers and service partners to help seek redeployment opportunities for the individuals affected.” This is nowhere near to being a “no job losses guarantee” that the Councils Leadership publicly announced.  

The DWP’s contractors employing privatised former Civil Servants in some areas, such as MITIE cleaning have commenced the redundancy process and have started pre redundancy meetings with their staff.

 A model letter on the subject to send to your council leader (which is likely to be Wyre, Blackpool or Fylde for the majority of members) asking that they ensure that the commitment that they believe that they had secured is honoured can be found here along with contact details. Members in the support areas need your help.