claimants and unpaid
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles among the unemployed, unpaid workers and house workers, pensioners and welfare claimants.
Labour's cruellest cut - Incapacity benefits in detail
Iain Mackay explores the government's proposals to cut benefits for the disabled - claimed by nearly 3 million - and discovers damned lies in the statistics.
The latest of New Labour's attacks on working class people has been announced. The aim is to abolish Incapacity Benefit (IB). Of course, the radical sounding rhetoric has been applied. Alan Johnson, the Work and Pensions secretary, described the changes as the most radical benefit reform for sick and disabled people since the Beveridge report.
Jobcentre staff begin 48 hour strike
Thousands of Jobcentre staff across the country began a 48 hour strike today, over job cuts by the Department of Work and Pensions.
There have been approximately 15,000 job losses in the DWP, and the department seeks to cut jobs by a total of 30,000 by 2008. Recently, upto 1,000 staff have been leaving the department per month.
Job losses have led to significant delays and bottle necks of benefits claims across the company, with the PCS union saying "services are frequently on the verge of collapse".
Incapacity benefit cuts
New Labour cut back on benefits to the disabled.
Apparently David Blunkett was decidedly mellow when it came to Incapacity Benefits cuts, at least he was compared to new Work & Pensions secretary John Hutton (weekly salary: £2,600). This week Hutton outlined his plans to introduce a range of penalties for claimants (weekly income: £58 a week) who show unwillingness to take part in ‘work focussed’ activities.
Slave labour in Britain continues this Christmas
Contrary to popular belief slavery has NOT been abolished in Britain. Behind high walls and locked doors it still flourishes.
Spare a thought during this years Consumer Christmas Hellish-day season for those who won’t be pulling a cracker round the family table.
To tramps, the unemployed, the disinherited, and miserable, by Lucy Parsons
Yet your employer told you that it was overproduction which made him close up. Who cared for the bitter tears and heart-pangs of your loving wife and helpless children, when you bid them a loving "God bless you" and turned upon the tramper's road to seek employment elsewhere? I say, who cared for those heartaches and pains? You were only a tramp now, to be execrated and denounced as a "worthless tramp and a vagrant" by that very class who had been engaged all those years in robbing you and yours...
An article by Lucy E. Parsons in anarchist magazine Alarm, October 4, 1884. Also printed and distributed as a leaflet by the International Working People's Association.
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