During the NUBSLI open events we were fortunate to have members of DPAC (Disabled People Against Cuts) explain the wider political context to what is currently happening with both Access to Work support being reduced/cut and now the CCS (Crown Commercial Service) national framework agreement.

Access to Work

You will have seen that the government’s cuts to interpreting support attempted to create divides between the Deaf and interpreting communities. This wasn’t accidental. By using divide and rule tactics, it is easy to assert control over groups.

The Stop Changes to Access to Work group was set up to challenge this notion directly: seeing that a united voice was needed. Deaf people came together with interpreters to say that they don’t believe the governments rhetoric that interpreters are too expensive and that the reduction in support is their fault. Interpreters are highly trained, skilled individuals who are vital for Deaf people’s access. An attack on interpreters is an attack on the Deaf community.

CCS National Framework Agreement

There is a clear ambition to “dumb down” standards and provision of interpreting. This is being done to increase the pool of ‘linguists’ and drive down costs. That is why non-interpreting qualifications have been included in an interpreting framework. Again, this isn’t either an accident or a mistake. This has been done with a clear agenda.

If any of you have followed what has happened with the spoken language interpreters and the MoJ contract, you will have a good idea of what lies ahead.

Ideological attack

Cuts that are happening are part of a wider ideological attack. What does that mean? The current government doesn’t believe in the welfare state and are trying to reduce it in size. Over the past four years we have seen some of the deepest cuts to the state sector there have ever been. The Chancellor, George Osborne, has made it clear that these cuts will continue.

If he is to achieve his planned budget surplus of £23 billion by 2019/20, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated that we have seen only 40% of the spending cuts required. That’s a further £55 billion on top of the £35 billion we’ve already suffered. This represents, in the words of IFS director Paul Johnson, “a fundamental reimagining of the role of the state”. The welfare state will be driven to a size not seen since the 1930’s. People are not only struggling to survive, they are dying as a result of these changes.

Roger Lewis, a member of the DPAC Steering Committee, said:

Disabled People have been used as the punch bag of the cuts for the last four years, but we’ve not taken it lying down. Through consistent and determined action we have taken the government on at every opportunity. On the streets and in the courts. Through lobbying and through publicity campaigning. But we know we can’t beat the Tory-led coalition on our own so we are delighted to welcome the formation of NUBSLI and are proud to have supported the work of your leading organisers from the outset.

I work in a Local Government Social Work Team and use Access to Work myself. My colleague who sits next to me is a Deaf Social Worker and relies on high quality and professional Interpreters to do his work. The attacks on the interpreting profession are a threat to my colleague’s ability to be able to work to the level that is absolutely essential for his work which includes the need to present accurate reports free of ambiguities or inaccuracies caused by poor interpreting. CSWs simply will not be able to provide this level of work. It would be unfair on them but most importantly this threatens the ability of Deaf people to work in qualified positions in the work place. We need unity and the formation of NUBSLI is another step forward in our joint struggle.

What can you do?

We all need to come together and oppose the cuts being made but not just the areas that affect us. It is all part of the same ideological attack and we therefore have to learn how to support others’ campaigns, too.

To start with, we recommend that you begin by supporting the following campaign groups:

Stop Changes to Access to Work

Stop Changes to Access to Work is trying to take Iain Duncan Smith MP and the DWP to court over the way people have been treated under the AtW scheme. You can donate to their fighting fund by visiting their campaign page.

You can also show support by signing their petition and read more on the work that Stop Changes are doing by visiting their website.

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC)

You can show your support by signing the open letter that DPAC are sending to Ed Milliband, Rachel Reeves and Kate Green in an attempt to save the Independent Living Fund (ILF).

DPAC constantly have campaign actions and demonstrations you can support, so it is well worth signing up to receive updates. You can do this on their website.

Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J)

Our spoken language colleagues have already experienced contracts under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).

NUBSLI is part of this campaign group, and we suggest that you use the resources available to learn as much as possible.