Is Work Always “Good for You?”
Beware! This Model Could Harm
Your Health!
Press Statement by Unite
Waitemata Branch
14 August 2013
Unite Waitemata and supporters are holding a protest
against the welfare reforms outside Paula Bennett’s Office at 429 Great North
Rd, Henderson at 5.45 pm Thursday 15th
August
“Paula
Bennett and Work and Income are touting the new mantra :“work is good for you”
, says Janet Robin, President of Unite Waitemata, which is a branch of the
Unite Union.
“Dr Bratt, WINZ Principle Health Advisor is
training WINZ designated doctors to believe that being on a benefit is an
addiction, and the best cure is work.
she
said.
“WINZ Regional Health and Disability
Advisors (many of whom lack medical
expertise) are being taught the same thing.”
“ Family doctors are also being pressured to
take this approach when they do the beneficiaries’ “work capacity assessments “.
“The result is harsh treatment of
beneficiaries who are seriously ill and need rest and support. Instead they are
pressured to look for work, and have to fight to get the support they
need. They may lose all or part of their
benefit. This causes extreme stress and can seriously harm their health.”
“In the UK, more than 30 people are dying every week, whilst appealing the
government’s decision that they are “fit to work.” “
“This is the model that New Zealand is
copying. “
The UK model was brought to New Zealand by Prof
Mansel Aylward.
Prof Aylward has spoken to Paula Bennett,
and is an advisor to the Counties Manakau District Health Board. He has influenced Dr Bratt, WINZ’s Principal
Health Advisor.
“Medical practitioners, health centres, and
designated doctors should beware of this approach, which seriously compromises
their medical ethics. They cannot put
the patient’s health first, and at the same time be pushing their client into
any kind of work, no matter how unsuitable.” said Ms Robin.
Prof Mansel Aylward’s approach is a corrupt
version of the “Bio Psycho Social “ approach.
“According to this version, illness is “all
in your mind.” “
UK academics, Mansel Aylward and Gordon Waddell , were paid by the convicted fraudulent US
insurance company Unum, to create this approach. Unum wanted UK people to be afraid their
government wouldn’t help them if they got sick, so they would buy insurance
policies from Unum instead .
“There is no genuine, medical or scientific
basis for this approach whatsoever”
said Ms Robin
“It defies any logic, common sense, or
compassion to expect seriously ill people to compete on the labour market and
work their guts out – and somehow “ get better” by doing this! “
“Of course it can be good for some people’s
health to get work or participate in other ways in their communities. But it needs
to fit the person’s real health needs, skills and abilities.”
“The government plans to save itself more
than a billion dollars by getting sick and disabled, and single parents, off
benefits and onto the labour market.”
“It is clear what WINZ’s priorities
are. They are not about helping people
to get jobs that genuinely suit them. They
are not about helping people to get well, or raise their incomes. They
are not about creating jobs. They are not about meeting social needs.”
“WINZ’s priorities are about meeting
employers’ needs. When large numbers of sick and disabled people compete with
everyone else for scarce jobs, employers can lower wages to raise their profits.
In addition a large number of private companies stand to make a lot of money
training sick beneficiaries and trying to get them into work. Others are already making profits from cheap
subsidised, and even free labour provided by WINZ. This brings wages down still
more. “
‘The “ benefit addiction” and “work is good
for you “ approach, is a fraud. “
“It
promotes the false idea that the sick are just avoiding work, when they
have real needs. This stops other
people from being supportive towards them. “
“We need to support each other.”
“Don’t let this divide us.”
“Beneficiaries and workers, sick and well, need
to Unite!
for
a living income for all!”
Issued by Janet Robin, President, Unite
Waitemata.
Unite Waitemata contacts:
0272800080; 8369104
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