Published August 29, 2012 | 
As Millions of people across Britain watch the 2012 Paralympic games aimed to inspire young disabled people to take up sport, compete at the highest level illustrating disability does not prevent a full and active life. It is disgraceful hypocrisy that ATOS Health Care, the private company who carries out the cruel and dis-credited capability assessment is the main sponsor of the games.
As Tara Flood, who won a Paralympic gold in Barcelona in 1992 before becoming a campaigner and educator said in an interview to the Guardian newspaper “It is a shocking irony that Atos is a main sponsor of London 2012 whilst destroying disabled people’s lives on behalf of the government.”
The SCC states disabled people are forced to suffer the stress of the ‘work capability’ assessment administered by Atos; the sole aim of this cruel process is to push as many people as possible off sickness benefits, as part of the Assembly Executive’s planned £500 million in benefit cuts.
The SCC says
- Fight all benefit cuts.
- Kick Atos out of the Welfare system.
- End the work capability assessment.
- A living wage and benefits with work opportunities for all without compulsion.
JOIN THE PROTEST
ROYSTON HOUSE
34 Upper Queen Street, Belfast
FRIDAY, 31st AUGUST 2012:
12.30 – 1.30 PM
Published April 3, 2012 | PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE
NO MORE UNNECESSARY DEATHS
STOP THE HEALTH CUTS
Protest Picket
1pm Friday 6th April
@
Health and Social Care Board Headquarters
12-22 Linenhall Street
Belfast
Due to the closure of Belfast City Hospital A&E and continuing cuts to the health service lives are being lost. Stop the Cuts Campaign will be picketing the Health Trust at lunchtime on Friday to demand an immediate end to cuts and the re-opening of the Belfast City A&E.
Please make every effort to support the picket. Forward this on to all your contacts. Thank you.
For more information contact Pat on 07810522111
Keep up to date with the Stop the Cuts Campaign at www.stopthecutscampaign.com
Published October 28, 2011 | Minister Poots has stated the closure of the City A&E was to be temporary, but to date there has not been a declaration by the Minister when the unit is to be re-opened. This has re-enforced the belief by many people and has confirmed the statements by the SCC that once the A&E department was closed; the Belfast Trust and Minister Poots never intended to re-open it.
The Stop the Cuts Campaign (SCC) is now demanding Health Minister Poots state when the closure of the Belfast City Hospital A&E unit will be reversed or be exposed as a liar.
In response to the closure of the A&E unit on the 1st November 2011; the SCC has organised a protest on that day to mark its opposition and establish a campaign for its re-opening.
Paddy Meehan, South Belfast SCC coordinator said “this unit must be re-opened immediately as figures for 2010/11 have shown 44.3% of all admissions across the Belfast Trust waited more than 12 hours. The closure of the City Hospital A&E unit will only exacerbate this situation putting people’s health and lives at risk.”
The closure will see a 15% increase in patients attending the Ulster Hospital A&E unit alone and even director of hospital services Seamus McGoran has warned “not all of the additional capacity will be in place from the 1st November.”
“The Royal, Mater and Ulster hospitals are already struggling on the brink of collapse and with cuts in health across all areas and with over 4000 health jobs gone this year; 42,000 extra patients forced onto these hospitals will only make this situation worse.”
“This will be the beginning of the campaign for the re-opening of the A&E unit; the SCC is determined on supporting and assisting in building a mass campaign to ensure that this so called temporary closure does not become permanent.”
The Stop the Cuts Campaign is calling on all public sector unions, community activists, workers and supporters opposed to the closure; and who want to establish the campaign for its re-opening to join the protest at Belfast City Hospital at 1pm on 1st November at the Lisburn Rd entrance.
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Please bring placards and banners
For comments and further details please contact;
Paddy Meehan, SCC Coordinator: 07598501040
Pat Lawlor, SCC Coordinator: 07810522111
