Star date: 13th July 2016

SALFORD PIP ASSESSMENT CENTRE PROTEST AS PART OF NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION

`There's two types of people – those who are disabled, and those who aren't disabled yet...'

The ATOS Assessment Centre, off Trinity Way in Salford, was targeted this afternoon as part of a National Day of Action Against PIP, the Tory Government's replacement for Disability Living Allowance.

Members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) held an impromptu rally outside the building, after displaying placards to raise awareness on Trinity Way..."Of the disabled people who apply for PIP, 63% are refused" explained Rick from DPAC.

Full details here...

Outside the ATOS PIP Consultation Centre, in Diva City Office Park off Trinity Way, members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) made people in nearby office buildings totally aware of what was happening on their doorstep...

"Right now the United Nations are investigating the United Kingdom for the abuse of disabled peoples human rights" said Rick from Manchester Disabled People Against Cuts "This is the first time in history that the United Nations has investigated a country for abusing the human right of disabled people. It is that bad. And this company, your neighbour in Deva City Park, ATOS at the PIP Consultation Centre, are a key part of that human rights abuse..."

As protesters gathered around the ATOS doorway and took to the microphone to amplify more ATOS terrors, its staff called the police, although when a squad car arrived the friendly officers explained that it was private land, nothing was being blocked and even facilitated the use of a disabled ATOS toilet for one man in a wheelchair.

Earlier, the campaigners had lined Trinity Way with placards to raise awareness of the National Day of Action Against PIP to passing traffic, as cars and lorries tooted support.

"PIP assessments are the way the Government assess disabled people for benefits, or Personal Independence Payment, and we're protesting because, of the disabled people who apply for PIP, 63% are refused" Rick told the Salford Star "The Government has created this system where more than half of disabled people are having all their important benefits taken away. So, for example, they lose their car, they can lose their carers, they can lose their house.

"Everyone here has been hit in some way" he added "I was last assessed in 2012 and I had to appeal, as most people do, and that's now harder because they've taken away legal aid for most of the appealing process.

"Disabled people are very good at coping with their impairments, and planning and building them into their lives and how they do things" he explained "But when something like this comes along, it takes away your ability to keep your life going in some sort of steady way – you lose money, you can't pay bills and particularly if you lose your car through motorbility,  which is not a free car, it just means you can use some of your benefits to lease a motorbility car. Everyone's been hit by something or had to appeal something, but most people know someone who hasn't made it..."

One person who very nearly didn't make it through was the son-in-law of a neighbour of Debbie from Broughton, who attended the protest...

"He had heart failure and was sent a letter to come for the assessment but he never received it" she said "When they phoned him they practically called him a liar and he ended up having a heart attack because of the stress. He had his heart attack in the doctor's and was lucky or he might not be alive he was sat in the doctors and he's lucky he was in the doctors or he might not be alive. He's got a little boy and his wife is the carer. When people are ill you don't need this type of stress, you've got enough stress dealing with the illness."

Debbie's own husband worked from being age 17 to 55, when he had to give up work through having cancer. All his life he had paid full national insurance, tax and rent and, since being diagnosed, had been getting Disability Living Allowance, which the couple thought was indefinite...

"He was born in 1949, but the cut off point was 1948, which means he is going to have to come for an assessment" she explained "Now it's going over to PIP, we're unsure what is going to happen. If he loses his car, he loses his independence – he can't go on buses because he has low immunity, taxis are not ideal, so that car is needed; and it's needed for me to shop and do things because without that I'm going to get ill.

"He's going to be reassessed some time soon and that's worrying because we know it's coming and I'm thinking `What am I going to do?'" she added "It's unnecessary stress that you don't need."

These kind of stories are repeated for most people with disabilities as, what DPAC calls the `poverty pimp industry' of ATOS and other companies, rolls ever forward...