Women's Views on News |
| EU referendum is for people too Posted: 25 Jan 2016 11:39 AM PST
All the talk this week is of David Cameron telling business leaders to step up, speak out and make the case for Britain remaining in the EU. On this he's right, and more companies need to be vocal, saying out loud that we must remain in the European Union, and not let disruptive Eurosceptic campaigners bully them in to being silent or allow parts of the press to get away with misrepresenting their position – but it isn't just about business nor is it really about Mr Cameron. The EU referendum is not about the future of the prime minister, but the future of millions of working people, and the jobs and rights our membership brings. And in any case, the Tory leader's priorities are not Labour's priorities; the focus of our efforts in Europe are different to his. Thankfully, some of the more damaging proposals originally floated for Cameron's proposed EU reforms no longer appear to be on the table – like weakening existing EU legislation on working rights, a move that would have undermined the direct benefits working people see from our EU membership. Where are the proposals to end loopholes in working rights legislation that are used by exploitative employers to undercut terms and conditions? Where is the action on zero-hours contracts? Whatever David Cameron may be talking about, Labour MEPs continue to campaign and to legislate, week in, week out, to put Labour values at the heart of Europe. Take this past week in the European Parliament, which saw Labour MEPs back proposals to improve British people's consumer, health and employment rights and enhance their opportunities. In Strasbourg over the last few days, Labour MEPs have: voted for a new EU law that will raise safety standards for gas appliances like boilers, cookers and barbecues, cutting the risk of deadly poisoning; backed a plan of action to increase the skills of young people to raise their chance of finding a job; and supported calls for national governments to act to promote female entrepreneurship, which could boost the UK economy by £60 billion over the next 15 years. We have also voted for tougher EU-wide limits on sugar in baby foods, campaigned for Europe's digital economy to be more inclusive, to ensure people in remote parts of Britain are not left behind and disconnected from the rollout of superfast broadband, and called for EU action to fight racism and discrimination to promote a stronger, more inclusive and tolerant society. And on the floods and steel crises that have struck communities up and down the country, Labour MEPs have been pushing the Tory government to apply for EU funds to help those hit by the recent flooding, and to work with European colleagues to find a solution to the demise of the steel industry, which this week lost another thousand jobs in the UK. Forget the prime ministerial political games, the machinations, the spin, damned spin and scaremongering of Farage and friends. When it comes down to it, this referendum is going to be about working people. The part-time checkout assistant who gets equal rights because we're in the EU; the factory worker for whom 'health and safety' isn't red tape but a matter of life and death; the workers in companies large and small whose businesses depend directly or indirectly on trade with Europe… for all these people, for all working people, there are no circumstances under which they would be better off outside the EU. So while Cameron tries to rally support from the slopes of Davos, Labour is getting on with delivering the changes we want to see in Europe – progressive changes with Labour values at their heart. We are doing it now and will carry on doing so – even after we have convinced the people that it is their interests – the British interest – to remain in the EU. Glenis Wilmott MEP is Labour's Leader in Europe. A version of this article appeared on the LabourList website on 22 January 2016.  |
| Open letter against allowance cut Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:01 AM PST
Ahead of a key vote on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in the House of Lords, over 30 national charities, members of the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), signed an open letter to Iain Duncan Smith, the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, warning that the government's cut to the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will "push disabled people further away from work and closer to poverty." The government has proposed a cut of £30 a week from new claims in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) of ESA. The WRAG is specifically there to provide support for those people who are assessed as being unfit for work but able to undertake activities to help them move towards work. Currently there are almost half a million sick and disabled people receiving this benefit. The government has however suggested that sick and disabled people who get this benefit are being 'disincentivised' from finding work because of the £30 a week more they get compared to those on Job Seeker's Allowance. However the Disability Benefits Consortium strongly disputes this claim and a recent survey in October 2015 of over 500 disabled people found the claim to be completely false: Almost half (45 per cent) of respondents say that the cut would probably mean they would return to work later; Just 1 per cent said the cut would motivate them to get a job sooner; Almost 7 in 10 (69 per cent) say cuts to ESA will cause their health to suffer; More than a quarter (28 per cent) say they sometimes can't afford to eat on the current amount they receive from ESA; and 40 per cent have become more isolated and less able to see friends or family after their ESA was withdrawn or reduced. This warning came just two weeks after 150 disabled people from across the country visited Parliament to speak directly to their MPs about their concerns around the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, particularly the cut to ESA. This Disability Benefits Consortium’s 'mass lobby' took place on 13 January and acted to show MPs the huge fears that exist amongst disabled people around their benefits. One of those who met with his local MP at the lobby, Sam Jefferies, who has a learning disability and is on ESA WRAG, said: "I am really worried about benefits cuts. "Only 6 per cent of people with a learning disability are currently in employment. "This number scares me as I, like a lot of people with a learning disability, really want to get a job; however, it is really hard to get work if you have a learning disability. "Benefits are important to me because the money helps me to stay independent, if it was cut I'm worried that I'd become isolated." The Open Letter to Iain Duncan Smith reads: Dear Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, we believe the Government's proposed cut to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will undermine its commitment to halve the disability employment gap, and push sick and disabled people further away from work and closer to poverty. The Government committed to protecting disability benefits, but instead is pushing through a cut of £30 a week to new claimants in the Work Related Activity Group of ESA. These are sick and disabled people who have been found currently unable to work. The Government says this £30 disincentivises sick and disabled people from finding work, but it has so far offered no evidence for this claim. In fact a recent independent Review showed the opposite is true: that this cut will make it harder for disabled people to find work. Almost 70 per cent of sick and disabled people we surveyed say this cut to ESA would cause their health to suffer and just under half said they would not be able to return to work so quickly. We call on the Government to listen to the damaging effect this will have on the lives of sick and disabled people and immediately halt this cut. It has been signed by: And research from Mencap, a co-chair of the Disability Benefits Consortium, a national coalition of over 60 different charities and other organisations committed to working towards a fair benefits system, has revealed the extent to which the public are against the government's cuts to welfare and the effect this will have on disabled people. A poll of over 2,000 UK adult members of the general public revealed that: 71 per cent of people think cuts to welfare will make the UK a worse place for disabled people to live; and Just 6 per cent thought the Welfare Reform and Work Bill would make the UK a better place for disabled people. Jan Tregelles, Chief Executive of Mencap, said: "Not only are disabled people telling us loud and clear that this cut to ESA will make their lives harder, with both their health and chances of returning to work being harmed, we also see how the general public are deeply concerned with these cuts. "The fact that just 6 per cent of people believe the Welfare Reform and Work Bill will make the UK a better place for disabled people shows the need for the government to reassess its benefits reforms. "Disabled people have told us of the vital role support from benefits like ESA plays in their lives, and the fact that so many say that taking this support away would leave them isolated from their communities, closer to poverty and further from work should be enough to make the government listen – especially when this cut directly contradicts its noble desire to halve the disability employment gap. "Ahead of this key vote in the House of Lords we ask Peers to listen to disabled people's deep concerns, and urge the government not to create a step backwards for disabled people in our society."  |
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