WORKERS NOT SHIRKERS

27-09-2006

People living on incapacity benefit are often labelled workshy scroungers, but as Pete Millington explains many who want to work just don't have the chance.

Every few years the government of the day carry out a review of the benefits system and launch a whole new raft of policies, legislation and projects aimed at getting people off benefits and into work.

Disabled people are frequently on the receiving end of this scrutiny.

Working for Disability West Midlands for 16 years I saw a lot of these trends come and go:

Back in the 90s they scrapped the disability employment register but forgot to tell anyone; then invalidity benefit got changed to incapacity benefit; severe disablement allowance was replaced by disability premiums; the Tories gave us the dreaded benefits integrity project; then New Labour warned they would overhaul incapacity benefit; more recently it has been welfare to work, etc, etc, etc.

The list goes on and the benefits system gets ever more complicated as each successive government tinkers with it without ever addressing the real issues.

And the scrutiny doesn't just come from government agencies but also from the media.

We are constantly led to believe that there is a hidden army of walking wounded out there who are drawing incapacity benefit when they could be working.

The malingerers who are sitting around at home watching television one moment and climbing ladders to paint their house the next.

But is this the correct analysis of the position of disabled people in Britain today or is it possible to view the situation from an entirely different perspective to find more positive and productive answers?

I have been involved in research into these issues for a number of years and am currently working for Birmingham Disability Resource Centre carrying out new research into the barriers which prevent large numbers of disabled people from sustaining long term employment.

Why is it that even midway through the very latest round of government employment initiatives, many disabled people still feel that the authorities and society at large are missing the point?

Firstly, there's the name of the main benefit that disabled people claim when they are out of work: “incapacity benefit”.

I have been asking numerous disabled people whether they consider themselves to be incapable of work and nine times out of ten people say that they aren't incapable of working, they just need support and flexibility in the workplace.

The difficulty is sustaining full time and worthwhile employment when the modern day employment environment remains inflexible and discriminatory.

Are there millions of work-shy disabled people? Again the answer is no, everyone I have asked has expressed a desire to work, for all sorts of reasons whether it be they want more money, or self esteem, or a career, etc, etc.

So why aren't people working then if they feel they can work and they want to work?

Well, there are a number of answers, many work places are still inaccessible, many employers do not accommodate disabled or unwell people in their policies and procedures, many disabled people are under-qualified because of lack of training or education opportunities, a lot of disabled people don't even get an interview when they apply for jobs.

Then there is the income trap itself.

If you are managing your life on a certain income, no matter how low it is, it is unlikely that you will consider incurring the extra costs of going to work if the wages you earn don't cover those incurred costs.

Then there is the issue of how do you gain work experience or test out whether you will be successful at doing a job?

The benefit system is largely an “either / or” situation, either you receive benefits and stay at home or you give up benefits and go out to work.

There is of course something called Permitted Earnings (formerly Therapeutic Earnings) where a person can do some limited work in a heavily supervised environment for a limited, one-off period.

But the rules are very tight on this, for everyone concerned, and it is merely a nod in the right direction in my opinion.

What many disabled people need is flexible, supportive work opportunities where they can test out the first rung of the ladder without losing the safety net of benefit.

People even get penalised for doing a spot of voluntary work, but surely we should be encouraging this… how else do people acquire skills or learn how to interact and engage in the work environment?

But there are certain wider issues which I believe will inevitably impact on the way we structure the benefits system in the future.

1. The ageing population, leading to more disabled people, if not a majority of disabled people eventually, in the workplace.

2. Environmental issues, the pressure to cut congestion on the roads by creating more home working opportunities, especially in ICT.

One day there will be a government who gets it.

It's not about whether a person can work or not. It's about how we enable people to work.

It's about changing the employment landscape from 9-5 / 5 days a week at a centralised difficult-to-access work place to working when people want to work and in their own environments with the equipment they need.

And neither is it about penalising people for wanting to do a bit of work, it's about incentives for those people and a longer period to try things out within a sliding scale of benefit.

• Do more work, earn more, get less benefit
• Earn a lot, get no benefits
• Do less work, earn less, get more benefit

What's the alternative? A massive wastage of skills, a huge benefit bill and potential creators of wealth sitting around because someone else tells them they are incapable.

Which ever way you look at it, from a capitalist or left wing viewpoint, it makes sense!

If you are a disabled person living in Birmingham and you want to take part in our research, get in touch with me at Birmingham Disability Resource Centre

Help us to change policy!

0121 789 7365