have just read on internet about a tory mp called lord freud . who is susposed to have said that people who are disabled aint worth minimum wage . . some of my disabled friends run there own firms . me I could not do enough to earn minimum wage .so thinking about what he said and what angle you looked at it . this could be a really interesting debate
what do you think: have just read on... - Lung Conditions C...
what do you think
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billl
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Hi Toby. I think this depends on where you are coming from. A small business on tight margins couldn't afford to pay the minimum wage to someone who could only do, say 60% of the work. But, as a disabled worker you would want to be paid the full amount. I think Lord Freud had a point but then so do all the disability organisations squealing about what he said. There are no winners in this one.
Bobby
I personaly would work for just me expences if I could be useful and its safe to do so
I personaly would work for just me expences if I could be useful and its safe to do so
in reply to phillips1
Yes Bobby - keep taking the pills 
coughalot xx
these ministers that have such opinions are not worth the ground they walk on I watched an interesting series of programs once where they had various props that could make the person act in a disabled way and it was interesting to watch many of the comments were I did not realize how the disabled had to work so hard just to have a shower for one example another was a car that had been converted for hand use only (brake, accelerator and auto gearbox he too conceded that he never had to work so hard by driving a car.
He is not only a tory mp but is the Welfare Reform Minister. What a disgraceful statement - speaks volumes about their attitude to the sick and disabled, many of whom work very successfully. Is he worthy of the huge salary, perks and proposed pay rise - in my opinion definitely not - he should go.
theguardian.com/society/201...
cx
in reply to cofdrop-UK
He is NOT an MP
cofdrop-UK in reply to
You're quite right Alan he is NOT an MP. SLAPPED WRIST for me! cx
I think fair pay for a day's work regardless of disability, gender etc, I think these sort of comments by people who have governance over us is very worrying indeed, I've heard too much of it lately, 'they came for the disabled, I did nothing, they did not come for me' start of a poem found at a German consetration camp, this devalueing of people had got to stop
I know the poem you refer to medow and it does make you stop and think.I have always believed the Tory party to have a lot in common with the Hitler regime.Ethnic cleansing-getting rid of the weak and feeble etc.now and again one minister or another lets slip just exactly how they view us "lower classes".and to add to the fears we have a more sinister group in the shape of ukip.God help us all.
Interesting indeed, so is the man. He was asked in 2006 by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair to produce a nominally independent review of the British Welfare to Work system. Made a Life Peer in 2009 and joined the Conservative Party in 2009. Not sure when Cameron gave him his position. I have no faith in any Politician. The disabled can be a useful worker on a decent wage if the work is carefully matched to their abilities. A person in a wheel chair could certainly do my accounts works. He needs to think before he speaks. Wonder why Blair and Cameron thought he was suitable and up to the task and what his qualifications are. Awaiting Cameron's decision back or sack.
Well I don't think it's a surprise to anyone here what the Tories think is it?
I think the best solution would be to encourage employers to hire persons with a disability but only pay them for the work they can do. The rest should be made up by the State. This would have 2 effects: the disabled person would be in work and second it would be cheaper to the State to subsidise a worker then keep them on full benefits.
This to some extent happened under DLA but wont be feasible on PIP I fear.
coughalot x
Agreed coughalot would give them a sense of purpose and usefulness and as you say cheaper for the Government. xx
The disabled person has suffered since Atos was brought in by the labour party and the guy {can't remember his name} who did the change in how claims were made went over to the Tories when they got in but the guide lines gave Atos the power to do anything they wanted as long as people were taken off the benefits we have seen so many posts on hear.
The truth of the matter is they don't give a dam no matter what party they belong to they have fantastic earnings a good pension and still feel they need to fiddle expenses
The moron has apologised so Cameron has forgiven him. Speaks volumes about this ghastly government. He can continue to draw his tax-payer funded salary, and like IDS is a disgrace to humanity.
in reply to warwickstag
At least they are not as bad as labour!
Sorry but if you are employing someone to do a specific job, you must be prepared to pay them the going rate, you do not employ them if they can't do the job, if you want a bricklayers hod carrier you would not employ a disabled person, what ever job you do you must be able to do it.
so having said that, if it is just a gate keeper you want and that is all they have to do, you must then pay them or NOT employ them.
the MP like most of them just thinks that saying sorry when caught with there pants down is good enough, saying later and after he was caught he did not mean it does not wash with me, he meant what he said but has not got the guts to admit to it, i don't believe he has changed his mind just he is protecting his cushy job he has.
like all of us genuine hard works, if we make a muck up of my job i expect the sack, in his privileged job he should be fired just like the rest of us, he has proved he is not fit for purpose, why not employ a disable person in his place, one who knows what it is like to be low paid and not wanted.
i myself was told i was disabled at 24 back in 1964 but back then no social security, after 9 months of begging for money for my wife and new born baby i had to go to work.
they put me as a disabled person on half the wage as the men i worked with, i was expected to do the same work as quick as them but for half the pay, i just did a few weeks and decided being disabled is not for me, i left got a job without a mention of disability, went on to work all the rest of my time with no one ever knowing i was disabled, did my full time of 44 years for pension and some more, worked two years after my 65 so i lost out on being able to claim DLA these MP'S don't know what work is, they are all mouth and trousers, a simple Sorry is not good enough kick him out, once again Cameron gets it wrong, just like he did with others like Coulson, he automatically backs them knowing they are wrong instead of coming straight out and showing he will not tolerate wrong doings.
My friend, whose son has autism says she would be happy if someone would give her son a small job to do for less than the minimum wage. A few hours a week sweeping up would be fine. It would make him happy to be doing something his dad and brother does. She would even pay someone to pay him - if only he could have some work to help him feel good about himself.
Lord Freud was wrong to say what he said. But, for some people, the idea might be acceptable. My friends other son is doing an apprenticeship. He gets less than the minimum wage and his employer gets money from the government to help pay his wage. His job is in another town a few miles away and he needs a car to get to it. His parents got him a car and pay for his petrol etc - just to get him started in work.
We don't want to see people being exploited but perhaps we also need to ask individuals what they would like and be flexible in our thinking. 'Disabled' covers a huge variety of situations.
yes Disabled covers a variety of situations happy feet but whatever the disability we are still human beings and should be treated as such.we are no less equal than you.
I am disabled.
I thought the view of my friend who has a disabled son aged 22yrs would give another perspective to the debate. We were discussing what the man had said. I said I thought he was wrong and she said she could see what he was thinking and agreed with him. She said he just put it clumsily talking about 'not being worth'.
I am not saying disabled people are not human beings, nor have I said we are less equal than anyone. I am merely suggesting that individuals might like the opportunity to say what they would like. It is important to ensure that no-one is exploited but that doesn't mean it cant be done.
A low wage with a top up from the government to meet the minimum wage has been suggested .
Let's not forget he said disabled people are 'not worth' the min wage - wonder what Steven Hawkins would say. Disabled people are becoming in-valid in the eyes of the people who have power over us
blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffe...
Quote:
'Markets are amoral. If a severely disabled person cannot produce more than the minimum wage’s worth of work, no employer will be able to profitably employ them. Some generous ones might do so at a loss, but we cannot assume that there will be enough of them. Many severely disabled people who would like to work thus cannot do so.
Lord Freud, a businessman turned welfare advisor to Tony Blair turned Tory minister, made this point at a fringe event at the recent Tory conference. He suggested that we could allow firms to employ severely disabled people at below the minimum wage.
He also said we should use something like the Universal Credit financial-support scheme to make up the difference – although this has been much less widely reported. That would allow firms to hire severely disabled people without making a loss while guaranteeing they would still take home a decent wage. . . .'
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