Start Date:
9th May 2011
End Date:
15th May 2011
Start Time:
14.00 in Triton Square, London.
End Time:
15th May 2011 time Unknown.
Atos Origin have just begun a £500 million contract by the Con-dem Government to carry out ‘work capability assessments’ on all of those claiming Incapacity Benefit.
It is claimed assessments are to test what people can do rather than what they can’t. The real purpose is to strip benefits from as many people as possible.
This testing system has already led to people with terminal illnesses and severe medical conditions being declared fit for work and having benefits cut. GP’s are ignored in favour of decisions made by Atos Origin’s computer.
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.
To date around 40% of appeals against Atos Origin’s decisions have been successful.
On the 24th January and 14th April claimants from around the country demonstrated outside Atos Origins premises, with many choosing to close for the day rather than face their ‘clients’. We call on all groups around the UK to take action against these parasites who have been dubbed ‘the racial purity and euthanasia arm of the DWP’
The ConDem Government has already made it quite clear that they want to reduce the amount of money spent on DLA by as much as 20% by 2014.
On the last Day of Action Against Benefit Cuts protests, actions and demonstrations were organised in Dundee, Edinburgh, Westminster, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, Brighton, Glasgow, Poole, Burnley, Islington, Kensington, Cardiff, Poole and Truro. This time we’ve got all week!
Disability activists, claimant groups and anti-cuts campaigners have called a week of action against, so called “poverty pimps” ATOS Origin beginning on Monday 9th May with a picnic and party in Triton Square, home of their head office, at 2pm.
Triton Square is on the North side of Euston Road, just over the road from Warren Street tube and less than five minutes from Euston/Euston Square or Great Portland Street tube stations.
This is a general info link, facebook event at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121624627914913
Below are the local West Midlands events all in Birmingham.
Millions are set to be affected by savage cuts to housing, disability, sickness and welfare benefits. Disabled people, those with long term illness, the unemployed, single parents, carers the low waged, part time students, volunteers, homeless people and college students are all likely to see a devastating drop in disposable income with many slipping even further below the poverty line.
Thursday 12th May, 7pm . Unison offices, 19th floor McClaren Tower, Priory Queensway. B4 7NN
Subject: ‘Who are they targeting? How can we stop them?’
Speakers: the solicitor from Irwin Mitchell who has just won a case preventing Birmingham City Council changing eligibility criteria for care funding, Linda Burnip, Disabled People Against Cuts; Michael Bradley, Right to Work
This is the link to the Unison Offices event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169640809755894
Then on Friday May 13th at noon outside Waterstones bookshop opposite bull statue in Bullring centre join us for leafleting and street theatre ‘ The Computer Says NO’ an adaptation of a Brighton Benefit Campaign play.
This is a link to the DPAC web site, giving info on the other Birmingham events:
http://www.facebook.com/l/caebedhm3SQtuTpMyeSXNcWZVug/www.dpac.uk.net