Prime minister Brown signalled more attacks on workers, the sick, unemployed and disabled people in his speech to MPs yesterday, outlining the government’s draft legislative programme.
Brown told the House of Commons that his first concern is to ‘steer our economy safely through the global downturn, the credit crunch and international oil and food price rises.’
He said that ‘the benefit we gain from three year public sector pay deals now covering 1.5 million workers’ allowed the government to allocate £300m for schemes to buy up unsold new homes for rent as well as shared equity schemes for home buyers.
On civil service jobs, he boasted that he was on course ‘to achieve the lowest civil service numbers since 1945.’
A second education bill will include ‘the first independent qualifications system.’
Brown went on to announce that the government plans to ‘legislate a duty on the unemployed to have their skills needs assessed and to acquire skills.’
He said that ‘new and existing incapacity benefit claimants will be required to go through a medical assessment and will be given a personalised programme to help them back into work.’
Brown said he will introduce ‘a new NHS Reform Bill to continue the change and renewal of the NHS.’
He added that ‘for the first time, payments to NHS hospitals will be adjusted according to patient satisfaction and health outcomes.’
On housing, he said: ‘We will look at ways of rewarding good tenants and hold to account those who do not meet their responsibilities, as we crack down further on anti-social behaviour on our estates.’
On policing, he announced plans for ‘directly elected representatives to give local people more control over policing priorities and responsiveness.’
Continuing the assault on immigrants, Brown announced a ‘new and tougher test for permanent residence or British citizenship. . . .
‘Only full citizens will get full access to benefits or social housing. And newcomers will be required to pay into a migration impact fund to help local communities deal with changes in population.’
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) leader Mark Serwotka said: ‘Rather than trying to outflank the Tories on public sector cuts, the government should listen to its own workforce. . . .
‘These latest remarks will further damage morale amongst a workforce already battered and bruised by job cuts and a public sector pay policy that entrenches poverty pay by penalising some of the lowest paid in the public sector.’
A British Medical Association (BMA) spokesperson said: ‘The timing of this announcement is perhaps surprising given that a review of the NHS is already underway.’
He added ‘We have some concerns about the suggestion that payment for hospitals will be based on the quality of patient experience – we currently do not have sufficiently sensitive mechanisms to measure this.’
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is a very encouraging draft programme of business, with many measures that will give much needed help to the low paid, to vulnerable workers and women.
‘As a member of the Commission on Vulnerable Employment, I am particularly pleased with the plans to deal with the abuse of temporary agency workers.’
NUT Acting General Secretary Christine Blower said: ‘Schools need an expansion of top-down accountability like a hole in the head.
‘Before the government leaps to legislation it should review the crushing and oppressive accountability structure already experienced by schools. Simply adding punitive intervention powers for local authorities is hardly going to gain the confidence of teachers.’
She warned: ‘The development of academies and trusts is separating many schools from their communities. We need structures which enhance the involvement of communities, alongside parents and teachers, in decisions about the local running of schools.’
Paul Cann, Director of Policy at Help the Aged, said: ‘Far from being treated as equals, older people are dismissed as second class citizens, denied their right to equality because outside the workplace it is perfectly legal to discriminate against them because of their age.’
