I WORK on an understaffed, stressed, Income Support processing section in
Cardiff. Under the cuts plans there will be no benefit processors in the
capital city of Wales.
Katrine Williams, PCS Wales DWP secretary
JobCentre Plus senior management’s vision of the future will decimate
benefit processing. Members will have to work from large impersonal processing
factories and call centres with even fewer staff doing the job.
You cannot get more frontline than processing benefits – providing the
support and advice to the most vulnerable in society. The public need to be
able to access this support from experienced staff based in the local
communities.
The Tories tried to introduce a similar system in 1993 with plans to close
53 benefit offices in Wales and setting up processing factories. Now under a
New Labour government 68 offices in Wales are due to close by 2006 with the
cuts and merger of JobCentres and benefit offices.
But we defeated the Tories’ plans because of massive opposition from the
public, trade unionists and elected representatives. We need to do this again
to stop the welfare state being destroyed.
5 November will show the massive support we have in the union and from the
public.
