Join the Atos Games!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/join-th ... games.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

23rd August 2012

On your marks, get set... for a week of Paralympic fun and games against Atos!

From Monday 27th to Friday 31st of August, join Disabled People Against Cuts for The Atos Games - five days of action against a company that's sponsoring the Paralympics but wrecking disabled people's lives.

CWU, other unions and the TUC are supporting the week of events being run by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC). The campaign calls on disabled people, disabled activists, families, colleagues, friends and supporters to come together and fight back against Atos's attacks. Atos is a health assessment company which is contracted by the Department for Work and Pensions to assess whether sick and disabled people qualify for benefits, with many being taken off the support they rely on.

Linda Roy, CWU Equality Officer, said: "Vulnerable people are feeling the effect of the government's cuts agenda more keenly than most and Atos is playing a leading role in cutting benefits for disabled people.

"We're urging everyone to get involved with this week of events. It's not just about welfare; the identity and place within society of disabled people is under attack. It's important that these injustices are exposed for all to see."

DPAC is asking the whole of the anti-cuts movement to join them in opposition to the company most responsible for driving through the government's brutal cuts agenda. Let's make it Games over for Atos! DPAC hopes to highlight the hypocrisy of Atos, a company that soon may be taking disability benefits from the people winning medals for Team GB.

Join in The Atos Games however you can - online, on the phone, or on the streets!

Monday 27th:A spoof Paralympic awards ceremony, hopefully with some very special guests...
Tuesday 28th:Pay a visit to your local Atos office - and maybe even take your protest inside!
Wednesday 29th:A coffin full of your messages about Atos will be delivered to its doorstep - send your messages to mail@dpac.uk.net to be included.
Thursday 30th:Phone jam! Let's flood Atos with calls, and generate a Twitter-storm they can't ignore!
Friday 31st: TheGrand Finale in London in conjunction with UK Uncut- an audacious, daring and disruptive action. Last time DPACshut down Oxford Circus, this time they will be performing miracles...!

Please help make this week of action a great success! Let's come together and show this monstrous company that we're stronger than them. They're the vulnerable ones and they know it.

Atos has offices in most towns across the country, so start organising an action for August 28th at your local Atos now!

Ever since George Osborne announced he was slashing £18 billion from the welfare budget, the government has paid Atos £100 million a year to test 11,000 sick and disabled people every week, then decide whether they're 'fit for work'.

DPAC argues that Atos uses an inhumane computer programme to do the testing, and trains its staff to push people off benefits. The government has admitted the tests are flawed, and the British Medical Association wants them to end immediately.

But Atos continues to devastate people's lives. Many have committed suicide because of its testing programme, and over 1,000 people have died of their illnesses soon after being found 'fit for work'.

Let the Atos Games begin!

Please sign the petition calling on the government to stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionally on disabled people.

See more details at http://www.dpac.uk.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, or contact mail@dpac.uk.net

[haob]

To bring some RM relevance to this story:

I have been 'assessed' twice by ATOS as 'fit for work' despite chronic mental health issues and the testimony of my doctor that I'm ill. ATOS are incompetent at best, corrupt at worst and contributed to declines in my health.

I managed to get into RM via Remploy during some sort of disabled recruitment drive; I was told it "looks good for them" to hire disabled people. In the interview I asked for no special provisions.

When I became ill again last year I elected not to become 'sick' and go through ATOS at work because of my experience with them and instead suffered through a nine month period before improving which included a month on beta blockers which made me nauseous and gave chronic diarrhea, and 4 months of therapy.

It was hard for me and I ended up moving some leave about to give me more breaks during but I have improved (for now), but it was still better than dealing with ATOS

[TeeferTiger]

I fear that taking part will lead them to declare me even fitter for work...

[music4essex]

Thanks for this I have signed it and passed it on

I don't know how the olympic games committee accepted them as sponsers

Essex mum