(It’s not satire – it’s ATOS)
Workers at an ATOS office in the Mann Island area of Liverpool refused to allow a Labour councillor to accompany disabled claimants during their medical assessments.
They also threatened that any disabled claimant who was accompanied by Cllr Joe Walsh during their ‘fit for work’ test could have their benefits ‘affected’.
And when the councillor and a welfare advice expert who was accompanying him asked for the refusal to be put it in writing – amazingly the ATOS staff called the police on them.
Here’s the full story from the Liverpool Daily Post:
Police called after welfare experts offer advice to disabled ahead of Atos sickness benefit assessment
The police – obviously – later confirmed no-one had broken the law.
Apart from the seriousness of attempting to prevent a democratically elected representative from helping his constituents – and the equally serious issue of wasting police time – I wonder if ATOS would have refused a Tory, Liberal Democrat or UKIP councillor in the same situation?
ATOS are playing a very dangerous game here indeed.
