PIP, NHS, Trident & Cleaners: Wednesday thirteenth July 2016 was a busy day for me, overlaying two protests within the ‘#PIPFightback’ Nationwide Day of Motion towards the Private Independence Funds, a rally in favour of a parliamentary invoice to cease the continuing privatisation of the NHS, a celebration towards plans to spend large quantities on new nuclear weapons and ending with a rally supporting cleaners within the longest operating industrial dispute within the historical past of the Metropolis of London.
PIP Fightback – Vauxhall & Westminster
On this present day there have been round 20 actions by disabled protesters and their supporters as a ‘#PIPFightback’ Nationwide Day of Motion towards PIP, the Private Independence Funds which have been a very insufficient substitute for the Disabled Residing Allowance which had beforehand offered assist to allow disabled folks to work and reside on extra even phrases with the remainder of the group.
I started on the Vauxhall PIP Session Centre in Vauxhall the place ATOS perform sham Private Independence Funds ‘assessments’ on behalf of the DWP. These are carried out with out with out correct consideration of medical proof and with ATOS haing a monetary incentive to fail claimants.
Many real claimants have misplaced important advantages for months earlier than these are restored by tribunals on enchantment. The momentary lack of finance has resulted in some being taken into hospitals and a few commiting suicide.
Different claimants lose advantages as job centres ‘sanction’ them, typically for trivial or unfair causes comparable to arriving late for interviews as a result of bus or prepare delays – or as a result of they haven’t acquired a letter concerning the appointment.
Amongst these collaborating on this protest was Gill Thompson, whose brother David Clapson, a diabetic ex-soldier died in July 2013 after his advantages had been ‘sanctioned’. He was left ravenous with out cash for meals or electrical energy to maintain the fridge containing his insulin operating. She carried a banner with the names and some footage of round 100 claimants identified to have died due to sanctions. This seems to be a comparatively small fraction of the entire which runs into 1000’s.
Later I joined a bigger protest with members of the Psychological Well being Resistance Community (MHRN), Disabled Folks In opposition to Cuts (DPAC) and Winvisible (Girls with Invisible and Seen Disabilities) and others in Westminster exterior the Victoria Road workplaces of Capita who additionally perform these shoddy assessments.
There have been speeches on the pavement there earlier than the protesters moved onto the busy highway blocking visitors in each instructions, although they shortly moved apart to let a ambulance by.
After a couple of minutes Paula Peters of DPAC introduced it was time to maneuver on and the protesters marched alongside the highway previous the Met Police HQ at New Scotland Yard and on the the DWP workplaces at Caxton Home.
Right here they blocked the highway for some extra speeches earlier than transferring on to Parliament the place there was one other quick rally on the highway earlier than they moved on to the media village on School Inexperienced the place politicians had been being interviewed on TV over the appointment of a brand new Prime Minister, Theresa Might.
Police blocked them from going onto the Inexperienced, however quickly some went previous them and refused police requests to maneuver; finally they had been allowed to face on a path in the course of the realm. Though all of the TV crews current may see and listen to the protest, just one or two bothered to return throughout and discover out what was taking place – and I feel these had been from overseas information businesses.
Disabled PIP Fightback blocks Westminster
PIP Fightback at Vauxhall
NHS Invoice protest at Parliament
Protesters from varied campaigns to avoid wasting the NHS held a protest in assist as Labour MP for Wirral West Margaret Greenwood offered a ‘Ten Minute Rule Invoice’ with cross-party assist to cease the privatisation of the NHS and return it to its founding ideas. Labour Shadow Well being Secretary Diane Abbott got here out to talk in assist on the protest.
Extra footage: NHS Invoice protest at Parliament
Trident Mad Hatters Tea Get together – Parliament Sq
CND members had been lobbying MPs at Parliament towards plans to interchange Trident at a price of not less than £205 billion.
And on the sq. going through the Homes of Parliament was a ‘Mad Hatters Tea Get together’, in addition to Christians with placards stating the opposition by church buildings of the completely different denominations to the substitute.
Trident Mad Hatters Tea Get together
Solidarity for Wooden St cleaners – Metropolis of London
The strike by cleaners on the 100 Wooden St workplaces managed by CBRE was now the longest operating industrial dispute within the historical past of the Metropolis of London.
The cleaners belong to the United Voices of the World union and are employed by anti-union cleansing contractor Thames Cleansing.
Unite the Resistance, the Haldane Society of Socialist Attorneys, Class Battle and others had come to assist the United Voices of the World. After a rally reverse the Wooden Road workplaces, then marched across the block after which went on maintain a rally blocking the road exterior the CBRE workplaces at St Martin’s Court docket.
Solidarity for Wooden St cleaners
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Tags: #PIPFightback, 2016, ATOS, Atos assessments, Capita, Caxton Home, CBRE, Class Battle, cleaners, CND, School Inexperienced, Diane Abbott, Disabled Folks In opposition to Cuts, DPAC, DWP, Haldane Society, London, Mad Hatters Tea Get together, march, media village, Psychological Well being Resistance Community, MHRN, Nationwide Day of Motion, NHS, NHS privatisation, Private Independence Funds, peter Marshall, PIP, police, protest, cease NHS privatisastion, strike, Ten Minute Rule Invoice, Thames Cleansing, Trident, Trident substitute, United Voices of the World, UVW, Winvisible, Wooden St, Wooden St Cleaners
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