Comrades, Happy May Day

Comrades, Happy May Day

I’m Sean McGovern here today from Unite’s London and Eastern Region and the TUC General Council to deliver a message of Solidarity to our class and to voice the concerns of millions of disabled people.

But first, I’d like you all to give a big May Day cheer to a group of Dial-a-Ride drivers, Unite members, from the Woodford and Orpington Depots who are out on strike today. 

This Conservative regime is imposing the most draconian of measures upon disabled people.

We are being attacked across all age groups.

Inclusive education is a far-off dream for lots of disabled children, as more and more are being home-schooled.

Indeed, we hear stories of parents threatening to take their children out of schools if disabled children are placed in the same classrooms.

Thus, a rise in the numbers of disabled children being segregated into ‘special needs’ schools.

Comrades, this kind of treatment often follows disabled people throughout their lives.

There are only 50% of disabled people of working age in employment.

This compared to around 75% amongst the rest of the working age population.

Even though this government has missed successive targets to get disabled people into employment they continue to hound disabled people who are unable to work.

The Work Capability Test continues to fail thousands and thousands of disabled people by assessing them as being able to work when the reality is different.

To further punish this group the government has stringently cut back Employment Support Allowance, forcing scores of thousands of disabled people into poverty.

Benefits sanctions are imposed on disabled people for being unable to climb the very barriers designed and built to criminal levels of inaccessibility.

And yet we’ve not felt the full force of cuts, as more are in the pipeline.

Universal Credit will find disabled people losing disability premiums and tax credits from their benefits.

Comrades, the social care and support sector is in a state of chaos.

This chaos spreads across all sections and players within the sector.

Care workers, carers, support workers and personal assistants are totally undervalued.

They are paid low wages, given bad terms and conditions and afforded poor job opportunities.

Care agencies are going out of business as Local Authority care funding evaporates.

Social workers, occupational therapists and care assessors are increasingly being bullied into cutting care and support packages.

Many are leaving the service rather than do disabled and elderly people a disservice.

And the service users, disabled and elderly people are seeing their care packages cut to criminally unsatisfactory levels. 

Disabled people are often left for hours at a time on their own increasing their isolation and social exclusion.

Living in such conditions have deleterious effects on both physical and mental health.

Therefore, we must fight for a National Care and Support Service free at the point of need and funded through general taxation. 

Comrades, what I have painted is a part of a landscape depicting some features of life for disabled people in a system that employs neoliberal policies.

Neoliberal policies that are contrary to affording people a decent standard of living.

But Comrades, the landscape is a work in progress. 

And while disabled people are on the receiving end of the most pernicious cuts in our benefits and services, we are fighting back.

Every day trade union workplace and equality reps are gaining reasonable adjustments for our disabled members. 

We are assisting with Access to Work claims.

We are defending our disabled comrades from unwarranted bullying and harassment by both bosses and co-workers.

Organisations such as Disabled People Against Cuts, Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance, Inclusion London and ALLFIE are defending disabled people.

By using Judicial Review, we are getting local authority policies turned over.

By lobbying our MPs, we are ensuring people get their benefits, services and housing issues dealt with.

And, by direct action we are sending a message to this government.

A message that we are willing to fight with any means to stop them consigning us to the shadows of social exclusion and to stop them killing our brothers and sisters with their inhumane social policies.

Comrades, any of us can be visited by disability at any time. 

Our struggle is your struggle; just as your fight is our fight.

Solidarity!