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Crippen's Tory Scam

Take Action Against the CONDEMs benefits scam on the 24th January 2011

Atos Origin have just been awarded a £300 million contract by the Condem government to continue carrying out ‘work capability assessments’. It is claimed that these assessments are to test what people can do rather than what they can’t do.

This testing system has already led to many disabled people, people with terminal illnesses and severe medical conditions being declared fit for work and having their benefits cut or completely removed. Intervention by GP’s are ignored in favour of ill informed decisions made by inexperienced Atos staff. Plans announced for the scrapping of Disability Living Allowance have also revealed that this intrusive testing is likely to be extended to everyone on some form of disability or health related benefit.

We all know that the real purpose of these tests are to strip benefits from as many people as possible and although almost half of the decisions made by Atos have been successfully challenged, the period between the benefits being stopped and their reinstatement due to a successful appeal means that many people recieve no income during this time. We understand that not all benefits, once reinstated are back dated to the time they were stopped so the government is then able to retain this funding in order to pay their friends Atos. Devious little money maker eh?!

The Government also plans to cut £2.5 billion from Employment Support Allowance. Plans to limit the benefit to just one year will mean that even those who are deemed unable to work will be presumed to have made a miraculous recovery after 12 months. Meanwhile the budget for Disability Living Allowance is to be cut by 20%.

With the recent changes in Housing Benefit and possible changes to Council Tax benefit, these cuts will leave hundreds of thousands of disabled people and those with severe health problems without enough money to feed themselves and heat their homes. That’s if they aren’t forced into unpaid labour, no doubt inflicted on them by poverty pimps like SERCO and Action for Employment. Whilst millions of people face homelessness, disruption, debt and ill health the gravy train is being extended for those companies which seek to profit from the misery of others.

Atos Origin do not just do health related testing. They are a global IT and Consultancy company with offices around the UK. One speciality they boast of on their website is having: “a team of Organisation and HR professionals who undertake the analysis, design and execution of headcount reduction.” In effect hatchet men! It’s time to fightback and hold the government and these companies to account.

If you’re organising an event in your area on 24th January and wish it to be added to the protest website or Face Book page then please contact Johny Void (thevoidblog@yahoo.co.uk) and say Crippen sent you!

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