Members asked to sign Lord Freud petition

UNISON is calling on all disabled members, fellow members, families and friends to sign the Unions Together petition calling for the resignation of welfare minister Lord Freud.

The Labour Party says it will force a Commons vote on the future of the Conservative peer over his recorded comments about disabled workers last week.

Lord Freud issued an “unreserved” apology after suggesting people with disabilities could be paid less than the minimum wage.

UNISON’s national office for diability policy, Gloria Foran, said: “Lord Freud has made his views about disabled people very clear: cheap labour, available for exploitation and not worth the going rate of pay.

“Having been shafted in government welfare reform policies, Lord Freud now wants to make sure disabled people are put on the very bottom rung of the ladder .

“Paying disabled people £2 per hour will set us back decades as a society. The suggestion stinks of segregation and enforced poverty. We want equality for disabled people so they can compete for jobs that represent the skills and experiences they can bring to enrich the labour market.

“If Lord Freud doesn’t bow to public pressure and resign, the Prime Minister should demonstrate common sense and distance himself from the former banker and a serving welfare minister in the Department for Work and Pensions – by sacking him.”

UNISON believes everyone should have a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Sign the Unions Together petition