Building a movement to fight welfare cuts

PCS president Martin Cavanagh chaired the fringe meeting at lunchtime today (20) and stated that the union has been working on a meaningful alternative to current UK provision. He said: “It’s not enough to say what we don’t like. Instead, we need to be at the forefront of creating an anti-austerity narrative. We have to give a positive vision. And we’re keen to work with anyone of interest to build that vision and work towards it.”

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote spoke about how the proposed cuts are not only counter-productive but a deliberate attack. She said: “The government’s attacks on disability benefits are an attack on working class communities. They are trying to balance the books on the backs of disabled people. Instead, they should strengthen anti-discrimination law, invest in training, eliminate sanctions, and create jobs. Similar cuts were proposed by the Tories in 2016 and were defeated - these cuts can be defeated, too.”

Andy Mitchell from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), the grassroots campaign network of disabled people, thanked PCS members for their solidarity in being a true ally and supporting DPAC to form a trade union group. Andy said: “The government is calling this the biggest shake up to welfare reform in a generation. Rhetoric about ‘economic inactivity’ has ramped up. Fear and anxiety amongst disabled people is now widespread and these cuts would lead to more untimely deaths. PIP is not an out of work benefit: 41% of those getting PIP are already employed and losing it will actually mean many have to give up work. The rise of Reform makes it more urgent that we build a wide movement based on solidarity. This is not just a disability issue, it’s a class issue, and we must urge everyone to fight these cuts.”

Sarah Morton, a member of PCS’s national disabled members' forum and is DWP group assistant secretary, said: “Our processes in DWP are causing people to become ill. Disabled people should not be thought of in terms of what they contribute to the economy. We’ve got to do everything we can to try and stop these cuts.”

Angela Grant (DWP group president) spoke about members’ own need of social security but their desire to help others: “There are so many members of DWP who need PIP to work. The vast majority of our members in DWP really care about the people they support. They want to do better, they want to save lives. And they want the resources to be able to do that.”

A discussion followed where people talked about building a more caring society, personally as well as politically; about challenging toxic cultures with DWP colleagues. Martin Cavanagh noted that, since the pandemic, unions are more widely understanding that social security affects the working class and the movement.