“This policy will push thousands into deeper poverty, worsen health inequalities, and strip away the dignity and security that everyone deserves.”
The Executive Committee of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) have issued the following statement on the government’s Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working green paper.
The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union strongly condemns the UK government’s latest assault on disabled workers and our members through its cruel and dangerous £6 billion in welfare cuts. These cuts, disguised as “support,” are nothing more than an attempt to force disabled people into work, regardless of whether it is safe, suitable, or sustainable. This policy will push thousands into deeper poverty, worsen health inequalities, and strip away the dignity and security that everyone deserves.
The government claims that work is the best route out of poverty, yet its own statistics tell a different story. With 1.8 million people suffering from work-related ill health, record levels of workplace stress, and tens of millions of working days lost to injury and illness, it is clear that many jobs are unsafe, unsustainable, and actively harming workers. Rather than investing in safer workplaces, proper adjustments, and stronger rights for disabled workers, the government is instead cutting the vital support that allows people to survive.
By removing the Work Capability Assessment and weakening disability benefits, ministers are not helping disabled people into meaningful work—they are coercing them into unsuitable, insecure, and exploitative employment. At the same time, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), overseen by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has seen its enforcement powers eroded, allowing employers to get away with dangerous conditions that disproportionately harm disabled workers.
The mental health crisis in workplaces is already at catastrophic levels, with stress, depression, and anxiety accounting for over half of all work-related ill health cases. Rather than addressing this crisis, the government is piling on more pressure- forcing people into jobs that will make their health worse while removing the safety nets that exist to protect them.
This government’s approach is not about empowering disabled people: it is about cutting costs at the expense of the most vulnerable.
BFAWU stands in absolute solidarity with disabled workers and our members who are being targeted by these cruel policies.
We demand:
- A real commitment to workplace safety through stronger enforcement of health and safety laws.
- Employer accountability for mental health and accessibility to ensure that disabled workers have the adjustments they need.
- A secure and fair benefits system, not one that punishes people for being unwell or disabled.
- Recognition that not everyone can work—and that’s okay. People deserve to live with dignity, whether they are in employment or not.
Disabled workers are not a burden. They are not statistics to be “fixed” for budget calculations. They are human beings who deserve respect, safety, and support.
The BFAWU will continue to fight alongside them, and we call on the wider labour movement to oppose these dangerous policies with all our strength.
In solidarity,
BFAWU Executive Committee
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