Government’s Disability Rights Record Shows Signs Of Regression

A delegation of trade union activists recently attended the latest UNCRDP (United Nations Committee on the Rights of Disabled Persons) and the British Government’s actions around disability rights were under close scrutiny.

The CWU was represented on the delegation by Lee Starr-Elliott who is a Regional Disabled Lead for the South West. The report of the UN committee was particularly condemning toward Rishi Sunak’s Government as it concluded “The UK Government has: “failed to take all appropriate measures to address grave and systematic violations of the human rights of persons with disabilities and has failed to eliminate the root causes of inequality and discrimination.” It went on to add that “no significant progress has been made” and “there are also signs of regression.”

Articles 19, 27 and 28 was referenced strongly and on the latter, worrying the committee highlighted that harmful DWP practice and policies is leading to an increasing rate of suicides among Disabled benefit claimants. The practice of significant spying by the DWP was also condemned. The Tory Government represent disputed all of the findings of the UN showing significant denial of the facts presented.

The CWU’s Lee Starr Elliott added “The fact is that Rishi Sunak’s recent benefit and work proposals have attacked and accused Deaf/Disabled people of being lazy work-shy scroungers, yet fail to account for the governments own failings within the DWP that have created long backlogs and in some cases sanctions in ATW and WCA. This has created a vicious circle for those Deaf/Disabled people seeking employment, especially as companies face increasing cost and financial pressures without the added cost/waiting times of the DWP to put support in place, which has meant either jobs not being offered or rescinded – which in turn means possible sanctions from the DWP on Benefits!”