Welfare reforms will penalise the vulnerable and divide society,
warns Unite
1 February 2012
Britain’s largest union, Unite, today (Wednesday 1 February)
urged MPs to oppose the Welfare Reform bill, warning that it will
hit low paid working people, push over 200,000 children into
poverty and leave some families with as little as 62p per person
per day to live on.
The move comes as MPs consider amendments made by the House of
Lords to the bill, including the controversial cap on benefits. In
a briefing to MPs the union warns that the household benefit cap
will result in:
- 30,150 households losing £50 a week
- 17,420 households losing £50 - £100 a week
- 8,040 households losing £100 - £150 a week
- 11.390 households losing more than £150 a week
The union heavily criticised the reforms, saying that they were
based on damaging and divisive stereotypes and would enshrine the
concept of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving poor.’
Unite is also warning that housing benefit cuts will force many
low waged working people out of their homes and to relocate to more
affordable areas. This will put strains on public services as they
cope with the fluctuations, and even cause problems for those
sectors that rely on an inner city workforce, such as retail and
catering, but also public services which employ some of the lowest
waged workers in the country.
Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey, said: “The government
should be seeking to improve the living standards of those on low
incomes and benefits, not stigmatising people and peddling the
concept of the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving poor’.
“The real enemy is not the perceived ‘workshy’ but the growing
dole queues across the country and flatlining growth. Singling out
some of the most vulnerable, as salaries at the top continue to
soar and big corporations avoid and evade billions in tax, will
divide society.”
ENDS
For more information please contact the Unite press office on
020 3371 2065.
Notes to editors:
Download the
Unite briefing on the welfare reform bill.
