No. LTB 642/14
Ref: TK/tm
Date: 16th October 2014
TO: ALL BRANCHES
Dear Colleagues
38 DEGREES PETITION LORD FREUD
Many of you will know doubt have seen or heard about Tory Welfare Reform Minister, Lord Freud and the comments he made regarding people with disabilities.
Quite disgracefully he stated that disabled people are not worthy of the minimum wage. We hear a lot in the press about “caring Conservatives” and their attempts to reach out to the people but it is occasions and comments like this that expose the true nature of the majority party within the coalition government.
Such comments have no place in the 21st Century and cannot be allowed to go unchecked. If left unchallenged such attitudes filter through from being comments to real policies, we have to stop this now.
Accordingly please find attached below a link to a “38 Degrees Petition” calling for him to be sacked. This petition has been set up by Howard Jones, who has been disabled from birth and is an NUJ member and a fierce campaigner on disability issues. Howard is the brother of Steve Jones, who you will know as a longstanding member of the CWU Postal Executive.
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ ... 1413382950" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]
We would urge as many people as possible not only to sign this petition but to share it with as many members, friends and family as you possibly can so that we can ensure that government Ministers cannot scapegoat disabled people as part of their continued attack on the people of this country.It is quite incredible that with such a high rate of unemployment amongst disabled people that a government Minster thinks that some are so undeserving to a point that they are not even worth a minimum wage. Worse still, he seems to think that a wage of two pounds an hour is acceptable. Disabled people worthy of work are at least worthy of minimum wage regardless of what their disability is.
Disabled people are not a burden on society and should not be treated as such. This sort of attitude takes us straight back to the dark days of Dickensian poverty and no apology should be acceptable. He should resign or be sacked.
Any comments on this LTB should be addressed to Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary using the email address sdgs@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary