Unions and the social security crisis

On Saturday (6), trade unionists from across England and Wales gathered in Bristol to plan and collaborate on how to address the government attacks on disabled people and on DWP staff. Organised by PCS, Unite and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), members also attended from Unison, Equity, RMT, UCU and more.

A panel discussion was chaired by PCS DWP Group Vice President Martin Cavanagh who insisted on the urgency of changing the narrative around benefits that blames claimants, and of putting real pressure on government to guarantee a genuine safety net.

“Social security is under attack”

Giving the keynote speech, PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote emphasised PCS members’ role in fighting for a fair social security system. She said: “For many years now, PCS has been working with DPAC and Unite Community – both to resist cuts to social security under successive governments; and to put forward an alternative based on a fair system would look like. Last year we helped to defeat the government’s attacks on Personal Independence Payments – an attack that would have taken thousands of pounds out of the pockets of disabled people – including thousands of PCS members. 

“PCS members administer the social security system, but they also rely on it too. Thousands of our members claim Universal Credit to top-up low pay; tens of thousands will receive Child Benefit; and thousands claim disability benefits like PIP. Members over the state pension age will be claiming their basic state pension, some claim Carer’s Allowance and many live in households where others claim benefits. 

“That is why social security is a trade union issue – not just an industrial issue for our members in DWP. Benefits are too low. The social security system is under attack from this government, the official opposition and from Reform. But we have one of the least generous unemployment benefits of all advanced nations.”

Panel discussion

The panel discussion began with a presentation of doctoral research by Sharlene Farrugia, who is at Manchester Metropolitan University. She noted the gendered element to social security policy, stating: “57% of claimants are women but twice as many women as men are sanctioned.”

Andy Mitchell from campaign group DPAC stressed the need for organised activism, saying: “There never seems to be a moment when disabled people are not fighting some aspect of the DWP just for a dignified life… We don’t need to just be fighting policy, we can be shaping it too.”

DPAC executive committee member and Unite member Ellen Morrison said how important it was for people impacted by cuts to recognise common cause with DWP workers. She said “Solidarity is real. It means that we disabled people recognise we have more in common with the workers who are made to enforce cuts to our benefits than the politicians who make those choices.”

PCS DWP Group President Angela Grant concluded: “Our battle is for everyone to be treated with dignity and respect. Where PCS is strong in DWP, sanctions are minimal – our members do not want to sanction. Sanctions are barbaric. Whether you’re a worker in DWP, or someone using DWP services, or just a trade unionist – this is our fight.”

The welfare of workers 

PCS full-time officer Mark Page led a workshop on the situation of DWP workers. PCS represents nearly 50,000 workers administering the social security system in the DWP. More than 20,000 DWP staff are paid the National Living Wage - the legal minimum that employers can get away with paying their staff. Thousands claim in-work benefits to make ends meet, and receive Personal Independence Payments which enable them to work. 

Social security is of fundamental importance to our members and to us as a trade union. This is in the context of a UK social security crisis, with 4.5 million children living in poverty, record numbers of families in temporary accommodation, unemployment and underemployment rising consistently, nearly 2 million pensioners in poverty, and more people using food banks than ever before.

Disability campaigning

Ellen Morrison and Meg Thomas are both on DPAC’s national steering group and celebrated successful campaigning by disabled activists in the face of horrendous government policy. The Conservatives had proposed massive cuts to disability benefits and Labour tried to continue these ‘reforms’ but disabled activist Ellen Clifford and the Good Law Project defeated them in court. In 2025, the government brought out the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit Bill which threatened to drastically reduce many disabled people’s living standards and independence, and make it harder for them to access employment. 

After massive opposition from community groups and trade unions, the government is now considering changes to PIP that will apparently be delivered through “co-production” with disabled people - so involving disabled people at every step of the process. Top-down policy-making doesn't work for people who are either delivering those policies or on the receiving end of them. As trade unionists, we need to be campaigning for co-production of policies.

Service design and union action

A third workshop was run by Brett Sparkes who is Unite South West’s regional community coordinator. Participants were asked to think about what trade unionists want from a social security safety net. They agreed on dignity, respect, ease of use with accessible advice centres and well-trained staff, offering more than a touch above the poverty line, flexibility and the end of conditionality. 

Next, they were asked how trade unionists can influence the system to ensure a fair and equitable social security system. Suggestions were for unions to take social security seriously and to recognise its importance to the economy, to challenge the narrative of skivers and shirkers by offering a positive message, to campaign and lobby government on the above as well as for full employment, and to link the issue to collective bargaining.

Up the agenda

Rounding off the day were comments from Brett Sparkes and from PCS rep Hannah David who is chair of TUC South West. Hannah said: “Social security is not an issue for a particular union or campaign group - it affects everyone. There is plenty of money in the economy to finance it – they are political choices which means the current system leaves people more vulnerable.”

Brett added: “Anyone might need the social security safety net – it just takes an illness or an accident. We should all use trades councils and branches to get this pushed up the union agenda.”

Attendees were urged to take this work and information back to their workplaces, unions and communities.