Received from: TUC Disabled Workers Conference
Congress deplores the rollout of universal credit, a draconian system leaving many in debt, eviction and hunger.
The government is making further cuts by merging six benefits into universal credit, plus scrapping enhanced and severe disability premiums.
For the first time, workers could face savage sanctions for not demonstrating that they are seeking to improve their paid income. Claimants have at least a five-week wait for their first payment and some face 63p claw-back for every £1 earned.
Part-time workers could be forced to leave work that suits their disability or family life for a worse paid, full-time job, those in precarious employment will lose their pension credit and self-employed people will face greater bureaucracy. Housing benefit will not be paid to landlords but to claimants who may need to use the money for emergencies, resulting in rent arrears.
Congress, therefore, welcomes the forthcoming judicial review into this benefit.
Congress calls on the General Council to campaign around universal credit and consider the judicial review’s recommendations and to call on the incoming Labour government to:
i. stop and scrap universal credit
ii. carry out a far-reaching social security reform that truly makes work pay and to protect those unable to work.
TUC Disabled Workers Conference