Today – July 1 – conditionality and sanctions return to the UK’s benefit system.
This means the two million people who signed up for Universal Credit because of the Covid-19 crisis will now be expected to show they are looking for work, and will be sanctioned if they fail to do so.
For the first time, they will experience what – for example – people with disabilities have suffered under the Conservatives for the last 10 years.
Some people are about to be rudely awakened from their previous complacency, I reckon!
Perhaps they would like to take part in this national day of action, organised by one of the larger representative organisations for people with disabilities, DPAC (Disabled People Against Cuts) under its banner of the Scrap Universal Credit Alliance (SUCA).
Here’s what they’re about and what you can do:
There is now overwhelming evidence of both the serious harm that the sanctions regime inflicts on the most disadvantaged members of society and the fact that sanctions are punitive and counter-productive to the aim of getting people off benefits and into work.
Join the Scrap Universal Credit Alliance in our demands to:
#EndConditionality
#ScrapSanctions
#NoMoreBenefitDeaths
Ways you can get involved:
- Get active on social media at 12 lunchtime on 1 July using the above hashtags and directed @DWP @
justintomlinson @theresecoffey . You can find a list of findings, facts, stats and links for reference here: https://dpac.uk.net/2020/06/sanctions-findings-facts-stats-and-links/ - Write to your MP asking them to put pressure on the government not to restart conditionality and sanctions.
- We encourage people to write to their MPs.
- Write to your local paper
- If you think you may be affected by conditionality restarting and putting your safety at risk because you still need to shield, it may be worth gathering what medical evidence you have (for example if you received a letter or correspondence from the NHS telling you to continue shielding until the end of July) and pro-actively sending it in to your job centre/adding it in to your Universal Credit journal. It is difficult to know what to do given the complete absence of information from the government.
Source: National [online] day of action against sanctions – 1st July – DPAC
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