NEW INCAPACITY BENEFIT TEST PENALISING 218,210 WEST MIDLANDS CLAIMANTS FAILS TO RECOGNISE THE LACK OF DEMAND FOR THESE WORKERS

New GMB study shows that in the UK labour market able bodied and fully fit workers get jobs ahead of those disabled and not fully fit

New rules announced in the Budget will mean that a total of 218,210 people on incapacity benefit in West Midlands, which amounts to 6.6% of the population of working age, must attend work capability assessments. The percentage of the population of working age in the Region on incapacity benefit who will face this new test ranges from a high of 11.7% in Stoke on Trent to 4.5% in Warwickshire which is the lowest in West Midlands. The numbers facing the test in each area in the West Midlands, expressed as a percentage of the working age population, based on a new GMB analysis of official data, are set out below.

In the UK as a whole a total of 2,517,998 people on incapacity benefit which amounts to 6.7% of the population of working age face this new test. The percentage of the population of working age who are on incapacity benefit varies from a highest in the UK of 16.9% in Merthyr Tydfil to 1.9% in Wokingham which is the lowest in the UK.

This week the Chancellor announced that the requirement for new incapacity benefit claimants to undergo a tough new eligibility test was to be extended to existing claimants from 2010. Speaking about new test in the budget debate in the House of Commons on Thursday 13^th March 2008 the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell “for those who play by the rules we will provide extra support so they can realize their ambitions. For people who don't play by the rules there will be clear consequences to their behaviour.”

Joe Morgan, GMB Regional Secretary for the West Midlands said, “The Government policy that those on incapacity benefit must attend work capability assessments is based on the false notion that the high levels of claimants in some areas is due to the fact that these people to not want work.  There is a failure to see this for the labour market issue that it really is. This new GMB study demonstrates yet again that in the areas where there are lots of jobs there are less people on incapacity benefit and vica versa in the areas where there are few jobs. The unpalatable truth is that the problem lies with the lack demand from employers for these workers.

The Government needs to face up to the fact that in today’s labour market able bodied and fully fit workers get jobs ahead of those who are disabled and those not fully fit. The government should desist from threatening to penalize those affected by this as Mr. Purnell threatened to do in Parliament. It is going to waste a lot of money bringing in private firms to find non existent jobs for these workers while closing the job centres.

GMB and the disabled Remploy workers fought to stop the Government sacking 2,500 disabled Remploy workers as they close 30 factories in 2 weeks time because most of the sacked Remploy workers will never work again.”

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Contact: Joe Morgan, GMB Regional Secretary for the West Midlands on 0121 550 4888 or GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.