Emergency Composite T (covering Emergency Motions 2 & 6)
Welfare Benefit Cuts
“That this Congress is alarmed by the planned cuts to disability benefits by the Labour Government? in Westminster, set out in the Green Paper and at the Spring Statement, which will cut entitlement to both Universal Credit and to Personal Independence Payments for disabled people. Congress believes that this represents an unjustifiable attack on the living standards of disabled people and will lead to increased difficulty for disabled people to access work and live a life of dignity. This is further worsened by the presentation of disabled people as scroungers by political parties and the media.
“We are appalled that analysis of the plans by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that 400,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these cuts; and that DWP analysis shows that 50,000 children will be pushed into poverty and that 150,000 carers will lose Carer’s Allowance too.
“Cuts to PIP in England will have a knock-on effect on the ADP in Scotland, as the block grant to Scotland is predicted to decrease by approximately £900 million by 2030 due to these cuts. Both benefits are a passport to qualify for other benefits, such as the health element of Universal Credit, a benefit reserved to Westminster. More disabled people will be pushed into poverty, and deep poverty, as cuts will lead to them losing up to £10,000 a year, including carer’s allowance.
“Westminster has promised to support disabled people into work with employment and support schemes, but they have given no information on how these schemes will balance the swingeing cuts to disability benefits. Instead Westminster has chosen to focus on making cuts, and then additional disability cuts when informed that the initial cuts would not make the savings they planned.
“Congress calls on the UK government to withdraw these proposals which would take nearly £5 billion from disabled people and result in more poverty, hardship and stress. Instead, the Government should look at options to increase taxes on the richest and/or on corporations.
“Congress calls on the STUC General Council to:
- Campaign against these cuts to disability benefits - mobilising a campaign across Scotland that builds alliances with trade unions, disabled people’s organisations and civil society to campaign against these cuts
- Lobby MPs to vote against these proposals when they come before the UK Parliament
- Challenge the Westminster Government to use their fiscal powers to source income from a different part of their portfolio and to stop punishing disabled people for being disabled;
- Lobby the Westminster Government for further information on their planned employment and support schemes;
- Lobby the Scottish Government to investigate the impact on disabled people, including young care leavers;
- Lobby the Scottish Government to determine how a potential health element assessment and applications for Access to Work would be carried out in Scotland; and
- Encourage MSPs to speak out in opposition to these cuts.”
Mover: STUC Disabled Workers’ Conference
Seconder: Public and Commercial Services Union
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