Press Release
This month people from across the country will gather nationally outside every ATOS centre to peacefully protest the inhumane treatment of people receiving employment support allowance and its predecessors incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Spearheaded by disabled activists who have arguably had to bear the brunt of the cuts made by the government of millionaires.
The poor treatment of our countries most vulnerable citizens by ATOS has been well documented. December saw Tim Salter, a 53 year old blind man suffering with agoraphobia become the latest of a growing number of people to take their own lives following the governments changes to the benefits system. This list includes at least 5 others.
Lee Robinson, 39, of Crawley, Sussex, who was the first person in whose suicide could be attributed to the governments changes.
Shaun Pilkington, 58, who was sent a letter saying he was to lose his Employment and Support Allowance, which he got after a long-term illness.
Edward Jacques, 47, of Sneinton, Nottingham, who took a fatal overdose after his benefit payments were stopped.
Richard Sanderson, 44, of Southfields, south-west London, stabbed himself in the heart.
Jacqueline Harris, a 53-year-old former nurse from Bristol, was found dead at her home, likely having taken an overdose of medications after she was pronounced fit for work in November 2012.
In July of last year brave whistle blower Greg Wood gave us a glimpse into the heartless target driven culture that was “unfair” and “skewed against the claimant” within ATOS.
Recently report the centre for welfare reform showed how informal targets set by ATOS had assessors under pressure to fail around 65% of claimants, with 1 in 6 of these decisions subsequently overturned.
Figures released by the government in July 2012 showed that 10600 people died within 6 weeks of stopping claiming ESA. Campaigners believe that the majority of the 10600 who ceased claiming and subsequently passed away were found fit to work by ATOS, and both the Department for Work and Pensions and ATOS are unable to produce any evidence to dispute these claims. Ultimately campaigners are calling for fairer treatment of all benefit claimants, especially the disabled and chronically and terminally ill.
Campaigner X said “It is unacceptable that the management of ATOS are pressuring assessors to fail so many claimants and deny them the benefits they are dependent on and entitled to rather than accurately asses the ability of claimants to work.”
Joe Salmon prospective Green party candidate for Headingley in the 2014 local elections said
“Ultimately means tested benefits are something we should be moving away from and instead embrace the benefits of a negative income tax or ‘Citizens Income’ as set out in Green Party policy with a supplement for people with disabilities or special needs.
Additional Sources:
http://www.centreforwelfarereform.org/library/type/pdfs/how-norms-become-targets.html
http://worktestwhistleblower.blogspot.co.uk/?view=flipcard
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jul/31/atos-fitness-work-test-greg-wood
Atos & DWP
10,600 disabled people died within 6 weeks of their claim ending January – November 2011.
Here is the actual figures in a table from the DWP.
2,200 died before they finished being assessed
1,300 died who were in Work Related Activity Group (Fit for work)
7,100 died who were in the support group (the most disabled).
Now the questions to ask yourself are:
Why did they die within 6 weeks of their claim finishing ?
Why did their claims finish BEFORE they died ?
These people who were all at one time labelled disabled stopped or had their claim stopped before they died…..WHY ?
7,100 of the most severely disabled in the support group suddenly had no
benefit and died.
1,300 who were pronounced fit by Atos suddenly had no benefit and died.
2,200 who were yet to be fully tested, intimidated, interrogated stopped their claim or had it stopped and died.
Please help disabled people by Joining our demonstration.
Michael Meacher MP called for an enquiry ~ he was ignored.
Please think why these people, good people, suddenly had no benefits and died within 6 weeks.
10,600 within a period of 11 months and after that the Government stopped counting.
A report from Atos Miracles Facebook Group 11th January 2014
With respect and sadness we report the death of a 51 year old gentleman as reported on 4UP by the close friend who found him dead: “Another one off ESA. My friend who I have been trying to help by getting advise from 4UP over the last couple of months DIED in a freezing cold flat on Tuesday evening. He went 14 weeks with no money only to be told that his no compliance for attending an assessment had been good cause and he was entitled to his money with back pay,back to 5/10/13. He never got to see a penny. His money was paid into his bank on the afternoon he died. He was so ILL he couldn’t make it to the cash machine.
This govt are evil bastards, especially IDS. I wish him all the harm possible.
RIP Paul xx”
Paul had worked all his life until he became ill last year. His appointment letter for his mandatory reassessment was sent to the wrong address – it was sent to number 52 and he lived at 52A. His MP spotted the mistake but it took 14 weeks to sort out.
On the 2/1/14 he was told he would be paid. He was too sick to collect the money himself so he gave his friend his bank card to collect it. The money didn’t come in until Tuesday the 7th so tha say Paul’s friend went round to deliver him the money, couldn’t get an answer so broke the door down; found his friend lying dead. The friend had Paul’s cash in his pocket but the dwp had sent it too late. Money that had been stopped because they got his address wrong.
Today (10/1/14) the friend went through Paul’s phone messages. Ingeus had texted him on the 07/01/14 to tell Paul he had an appointment on the 08/01/14 at 14.55pm. That’s 4 hours before he died. They haunted him to the last.
This information is genuine and verifiable and the friend has bravely given permission for this story to be shared.
With sympathy to all those who love Paul.
Rest In Peace.
To all those struggling right now under similar circumstances: please keep going. We communities coming together (usually online) are never giving up. Our jobs are to endure so we can bear witness and (when health allows) to speak, change injustice and keep alight what we know is Right and Just. We Shall Overcome. Love, Atos Miracles. xxxxxxx
Atos National Demo is supported by
