Employer
prejudice is one of the main reasons why those on invalidity benefit cannot get
back into work, according to a new report by the TUC.
The
report, Defending Incapacity Benefit, warns the Government there are no easy
savings to be made by cracking down on invalidity benefit claimants.
The
TUC claims the study challenges the myth that incapacity benefit supports
millions of people who have chosen not to work.
Instead,
the TUC said, it shows the vast majority of the 1.5 million who receive
invalidity benefit are either too ill to work without suffering real pain and
fatigue, or want to work but cannot find a job – often due to employer
prejudice.
The
TUC said it supported government pilot projects that help rather than force
claimants back into work. The TUC said if the programme were rolled out
nationally it would fill 110,000 jobs a year and save £110m annually.
TUC
general secretary Brendan Barber said people claiming incapacity benefit were not
"work-shy spongers".
“You
cannot force people into jobs that would cause them real pain or exhaustion,”
he said. “But you can encourage and support disabled people to find and get
jobs, as well as tackling the discrimination among employers that is condemning
too many workers to benefits.”
The
TUC has sent the report to the new secretary of state for work and pensions
Alan Johnson MP who is currently examining welfare reform.
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