The Crutch Collective: May 2011

Friday, 27 May 2011

STOP ATOS CUTTING DISABILITY BENEFITS

Picket Atos Recruitment Evening

Atos Medical Assessment Centre

Corunna House

29 Cadogan Street

Glasgow G2 7AB

Monday 6th June

5.30pm – 8.30pm

Who are Atos?

Atos Healthcare are a part of a private, profit making corporation. On behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), they carry out the medical assessments, now called 'Work Capability Assessments (WCA), for Employment Support Allowance (formerly Incapacity Benefit).

What do they do?

Atos are currently recruiting more medical professionals to carry out new assessments on all people on sickness benefits. They are actively carrying out the Government’s plan of cutting sickness benefits by £2.5 billion. The process is driven by cost cutting not objective medical opinion. In recent trials of their largely unreliable new computerised medical test 29% of claimants had their benefits cut, but most people win their case when they appeal with the help of an advice centre. Atos will be also recruiting more staff to carry out these distressing and degrading tests on all people on Disability Living Allowance for the first time, where the plan is to cut the budget by 20%. The Government are cutting these benefits to reduce the debt caused by bankers gambling on the financial markets. The most vulnerable in society are being made to pay for the greed of the rich and the inevitable booms and busts of capitalist economics.

More info: The Crutch Collective on Facebook

thecrutchcollective@gmail.com

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=188876404494450

Saturday, 21 May 2011

Planning meeting for Picket of Atos Recruitment Evening

Thursday 26th May
7pm
@ The Free Hetherington
The Glasgow University Occupation
13 University Gardens
Just off University Avenue
Glasgow University Campus
http://freehetherington.wordpress.com/find-us/

Atos are currently recruiting more medical professionals to carry out new assessments on all people on sickness benefits. They are actively carrying out the Government’s plan of cutting sickness benefits by £250 billion. In recent trials of their largely unreliable new computerised medical test most people have their benefits cut, but most people win their case when they appeal with the help of an advice centre. Atos will be also recruiting more staff to carry out these distressing and degrading tests on all people on Disability Living Allowance for the first time, where the plan is to cut the budget by 20%. The Government are cutting these benefits to reduce the debt caused by bankers. The most vulnerable in society are being made to pay for the greed of the rich and the inevitable booms and busts of capitalist economics. There is a recruitment evening at the Atos Medical Assessment Centre, Corunna House, 29 Cadogon Street on Monday 6th June between 6pm and 8pm.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crutch-Collective/132893236781931?sk=wall

Facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=229065417107163

Friday, 13 May 2011

Picket of Atos Glasgow May 12th

Over a dozen claimants and supporters managed to get our message out about Atos, that 'They Rob From The Poor To Give To The Rich' to hundreds of shoppers and people going home from work outside the Atos offices at 45 Gordon Street in the centre of Glasgow between 5pm and 6pm. Banners proclaimed that 'Atos Are Making The Sick Pay For The Greedy Bankers Debt. 'Atos Make A Profit Out Of The Misery Of The Sick' was screamed out to passersby. Many people were supportive and stopped to ask more about Atos. Many others who stopped to talk already knew about Atos having been through the distressing process of the medical assessment themselves or they knew someone who had been in the same situation. Passing postal workers said that they supported us 100%. Even a Community Support Officer stopped to ask for advice. New people signed up to take part in the next anti-Atos demo on Monday 6^th June between 6pm and 8pm at the Atos recruitment evening at the assessment centre, Corunna House, 29 Cadogan Street. Hits on our website are going through the roof again.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crutch-Collective/132893236781931?sk=wall