Jul 312012
 

Join The Atos Games!

On your marks, get set…
for a week of Paralympic fun and games against Atos!

From Monday 27th to Friday 31st of August, join Disabled People Against Cuts for The Atos Games – five days of action against a company that’s sponsoring the Paralympics but wrecking disabled people’s lives.

We are calling on disabled people, disabled activists, families, colleagues, friends and supporters to come together and fight back against Atos’s attacks. Atos represents as dangerous an opponent as any government, law or barrier the disability movement has faced in its long history. It’s not just welfare, but our very identity and our place within society that is under attack.

And we are asking the whole of the anti-cuts movement to join us in our opposition to the company most responsible for driving through the government’s brutal cuts agenda. Let’s make it Games over for Atos!

We’re not against the Paralympics or the people taking part in it. We’re highlighting the hypocrisy of Atos, a company that soon may be taking disability benefits from the people winning medals for Team GB.

Ever since George Osborne announced he was slashing £18 billion from the welfare budget, the government has paid Atos £100 million a year to test 11,000sick and disabled people every week, then decide whether they’re ‘fit for work’.

Atos uses an inhumane computer programme to do the testing, and trains its staff to push people off benefits. The government has admitted the tests are flawed, and the British Medical Association wants them to end immediately.

But Atos continues to devastate people’s lives. Many have committed suicide because of its testing programme, and over 1,000 people have died of their illnesses soon after being found ‘fit for work’.

We won’t let them get away with murder, so join in The Atos Games however you can – online, on the phone, or on the streets!

·         Monday 27th: We’ll hold a spoof Paralympic awards ceremony, hopefully with some very special guests…
·         Tuesday 28th: Pay a visit to your local Atos office – and maybe even take your protest inside!
·         Wednesday 29th: A coffin full of your messages about Atos will be delivered to its doorstep.
·         Thursday 30th: Phone jam! Let’s flood Atos with calls, and generate a Twitter-storm they can’t ignore!
·         Then on Friday 31st, join us in London where we’re teaming up with UK Uncut for the Grand Finale – an audacious, daring and disruptive action. Last time we shut down Oxford Circus, this time we will be performing miracles…!
Join us at 12.45pm in Triton Square, just off Euston Road, at ATOS head office.

 

Over the next few weeks we’ll give more details about each day of action. We’ll make sure that DPAC members and disabled people who can’t travel will be able to take part in different and accessible ways.

We’d really like YOU to make this week of action a great success! Let’s come together and show this monstrous company that we’re stronger than them. They’re the vulnerable ones and they know it.

Atos has offices in most towns across the country, so start organising an action for August 28th at your local Atos now!

Let the Atos Games begin!

If anyone wants to use any of these from Atos Stories then they have said you are free to do so

https://atosstories.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/its-not-over-yet.html

 

[suffusion-the-author]

[suffusion-the-author display='description']
 Posted by at 16:10

  46 Responses to “Our ATOS Games”

  1. what happens if you dont attend this sham atos “assessment”? do they stop income support and/or housing benefit?
    please reply to my email directly cause i wont be able to find your reply here.
    jimmyschlitz@gmail.com

  2. I’m T4 complete Spinal cord injury Early sept I recceived a P45 in the post after sending in 98 A4 pages in answer to the capabilities to work questionaire in july. It took me so many pages because not one question was relevant to a person with a Spinal Cord Injury. I couldn’t answer yes/no/sometimes to anything !
    There was no covering letter / explanation to accompany my P45 !
    After 7 phone calls through various DSS & DWP departments I was told ” oh..you’re a lucky one then. They must have just written you off then, if you’ve not been called in for medicals and roll play I suggest you keep quiet about it”. !!!
    I had previously been on Long Term Incap benefit for 11yrs, I’m a patient of the Nation Spinal Inhury Centre at Stoke Mandeville. I can only presume that someone actually read my answers & sarcastic comments expressing my humiliation at explaining how my bladder & bowels are managed..all 16pages of it !
    I can only recomend that everyone answers with as much honest detail as possible& try to think of Every possible outcome/situation you can.
    One question asks if you can move from one chair to another, situated side by side ? Think first… Are they the same hight ? Do they have arms? How tall are they? Could you actually transfer from a wheel/powerchair into one of the chairs to start with? All of this is with out assistance.. I can easily slide over leather but fabrics & velvert/draylon are are like velcro ! Impossible to slide my bum over..
    I only hope I can retain my DLA when they attack that next year..

    • Oops excuse typo’s . Jumpy hands…
      Soneone previousle mentioned sonething about ‘safe groups’ or something like that. What does it mean?
      Could I still be called in to be poked ~ prodded ~ humilated & belittled by Atos?’

  3. I personally feel these test are been designed to fail people and kick them of their benefits instead of looking at the reason why they are so many vunerable people in society who feel need to claim benefits and live on such small incomes.

    Atos have been giving a 10 year contract to carry out test which impose on the rights under EU legislation and does not accuratley assess someone if they are fit for work.

    Example, I work for a mental health charity and from own experinces with mental distress and working to support others, Atos assessment does not cover how mental health problems effect peoples daily lives, especially depression and anxiety disorders relating to working, they totally look for a cognitve and physical aspects of a person which does relate to how indviduals can work with specfic mental health problems.

    Also Atos and the DWP have been dismissing Docters, and other health care professionals who understand mental health issues by passing people fit for work under targets which MP Chris grayling denies.

  4. Just been over to ATOS’S own Blog…. they have an article by Neil Milliken about the importance of inclusivity in business for disabled people!!! I kid you not. Have left a message telling them what I think of their hypocrisy… they even have the cheek to mention disability legislation that Alf Morris brought in. And now they’re ruining the very achievements of that legislation. Are they just thick ??? Daresay my comment will be removed. Maybe if they have lots they can’t control it so anyone who has time please got to Atos blog and leave them a message

  5. There is a strange irony in ATOS’ sponsorship, as, if our Paralympians find that their impairments prevent them from working, they will be sent for an ATOS Work Capability Assessment and will most likely be found ‘fit for work’.

  6. Atos make me sick! My partner age 38 had been ills since birth, he has always worked when he can,, but has come to a point where after 2 transplants, and e effects of the drugs he has taken all his life to keep him alive, that his consultant signed him off work, and said it wasn’t any good for him, as a young man he was devestated, he had to sit through a 30 minute assessment with a so called doctor that didn’t even know what an anti rejection drug was! To be sent a letter a few weeks later to be awarded zero points, gobsmacked was not the word, he takes 48 tablets a day to keep him alive, pumps himself full of prescribed morphine to control the pain, I am disgusted, we then had to appeal, and have a tribunal, and we won, but only for 12 months, he now doesn’t receive a penny, because he lives with me, as he has done for 9 years Nd I work? Which means as well as working full time to keep a roof over our head, I now have to pay for everything, even down to his prescriptions, which without he WOULD die, even though he only received £400 a month, that virtually paid our mortgage, and now we can no longer afford to live, I only get a basic wage, when I rang to ask for help, their advice was to allow my house to be repossessed, be put into welfare housing, get housing benefit,council tax benefit, in one support and if I stayed at home as a carer I would get carers allowence, how ridiculous, instead my partner couldn’t deal with the pressure that he felt he put us under, and blamed himself fur the fact we were going to lose the house we had bought when he was well, so he took his own life, and I will always blame ATOS and our government for that, they really do not care, before we know it they will be slaying the disabled at birth, our country makes me sick, and I am no longer proud to be British, but will do anything to help, if there is anything I can do

    • lou, after breaking down in tears at my 6/9/2010 Atos medical I told myself that a 50 yr old bloke should hold things together and I had until reading your story, now its tissue time again.It is so sad,there are no words left in me.

    • What a horrendous, Westminster-led society we live in.
      The well-being of our most decent peoples in our lands is being eroded.
      So-called, united kingdom, a kingdom of rewarding the smug rich elite, whilst most decent peoples suffer.
      Great Britain no more, for decent peoples.
      Westminster has lost the plot, too much resources lost to super-rich tax evasion.
      What message does this send to those longing for a fair decent democratic society?
      It gives some a feeling of no hope, but others like me, live to fight another day, against, the evil unchecked capitalists forces, (business is business, but at what cost?, where capitalist forces are aggressive to the good of society), which prevail in our lands.
      I hope Scotland breaks away from Westminster government, and hope my most decent friends from the rest of the uk, arise and fight against the tory and new labour ways.
      I am a Scot, but Gordon brown was a great embarrassment, the way he treated Gillian Duffy, just shows the low level of integrity, which emanates fro Westminster politicians.

  7. It’s a shame, but I don’t think we can ask our athletes to boycott these games, however, if they had, it would have been something impossible to ignore!

    “Britain has no Paralympic competitors due to ATOS boycott” or similar would have been a great headline.

    Sadly of course, while the Paralympics isn’t doing badly on twitter and with the public, I still don’t feel it’s going to get half the attention of the ‘other’ one.

    • thanks and ….well its getting plenty of attention in media: national newspapers discussed on TV -paralympians hiding their atos laytards- its up to all of us to keep the pressure on and get these horror stories out-and we will

  8. Crikey I didn’t know any of this!!!! I didn’t see ‘Britain on the sick,’ but I’m going to see if I can catch it on iplayer. I think Cameron thinks anyone on the sick is a time waster, the Conservatives always have had it in for sick people and now they think if they get the welfare bill down they’ll get votes.

    I’ll keep myself updated and do what I can.

  9. I am writing for my blog this week to publicise the Manchester demo and would like to speak to local people who have had their benefits cuts. Please contact me on my website. I will be joining you next week.
    solidarity
    Bernadette
    my blog; lipsticksocialist.wordpress.com

  10. the well being and happiness and not the destruction of its people, is the main priority of a good government

  11. The ONLY thing any government cares about is ‘cost’ – not human emotions, and any protest will create a few headlines and some minor inconvenience, but will change very little. What is needed is something that will cost massively and create a massive back-up in services.
    Can I suggest every person assessed as ‘fit to work’ immediately appeals, and a fund be created to pay for any legal costs required to ensure the maximum justice in these endeavours. This will swamp the appeal procedure and the more successful appeals will show how flawed the WCA test is.
    We cannot rely on any support from politicians, press or the public, we’ve always been marginalized, always easy targets.
    If they think we are ‘capable of work’ lets show them how much work we can create . .

  12. To Ben in Swansea ( see above )

    Fantastic. I have been hoping there will be action in Wales. However i am very ill and live close to Bridgend- Swansea is too far for me to travel to. Do you know of any action planned by people in Bridgend? If not, is there anyone out there in Bridgend who I could team up with? Please blog if you are interested.

    Many thanks.

  13. Ben, great stuff! Looking forward to hearing more so we can promote your action to other people in the area who might want to get involved.

  14. Why aren`t British disabled athletes boycotting these games?

  15. People seem really keen on holding a local protest in Swansea on the 28th. Lots of interest. Watch this space!

  16. Count me in for as much action as possible.Please keep me informed
    ATOS = Authorised To Organise Slaughter

  17. I found this on the public page of a private website of an Atos employee, you might find it interesting…….It’s part of a PDF file that was obviously mistakenly put on the public page for a very short time but long enough for me to pull it..Enjoy & I hope it helps in any way.

    Clinician contact details for Atos Healthcare
    Please do not give these numbers to patients
    09 April 2010

    Edinburgh MSC
    Argyle House
    3 Lady Lawson Street
    Edinburgh
    EH3 9SH
    0131 222 5055

    Manchester MSC
    Albert Bridge House (East)
    Bridge Street
    Manchester
    M60 9DA
    0121 335 0720

    Birmingham MSC
    Five Ways House
    Islington Row
    Edgbaston
    Birmingham
    B15 1SL
    0121 626 2941

    Glasgow MSC
    Corunna House
    29 Cadogan Street
    Glasgow
    G2 7RD
    0141 249 3616

    Bootle MSC
    St Martins House
    Stanley Precinct
    Bootle
    Merseyside
    L69 8BN
    0151 934 6070

    Nottingham MSC
    Summit House
    Nottingham Business Park
    Nottingham
    NG8 6PX
    0115 975 8362

    Newcastle MSC
    Arden House
    Regent Centre
    Gosforth
    Newcastle
    NE3 3JN
    01264 837 789

    Leeds MSC
    Government Buildings
    Otley Road
    Lawnswood
    Leeds
    LS16 5PU
    0113 230 9068

    Cardiff MSC
    Block 1
    Government Buildings
    Gabalfa
    Cardiff
    CF4 4YF
    029 2058 6750

    Bristol MSC
    Government Buildings
    Flowers Hill
    Bristol
    BS4 6LA
    0117 971 8382

    Wembley MSC
    1 Olympic House
    Olympic Way
    Wembley
    Middlesex
    HA9 0DL
    0208 795 8772

    Croydon MSC
    1st Floor
    Stephenson House
    2 Cherry Orchard Road
    Croydon
    Surrey
    CR0 6BA
    0208 633 1324

    • Thanks Steve, very helpful information, will be writing to them and ringing over the protest dates.

  18. I will do what I can to help.

  19. I rang atos today to ask how long before I heard from them about the form I sent . I asked if it was true that if the disabled person was too ill to undertake a medical and their own doctor also agreed that they would not be required to under take the wca . They never answered what I asked just that only exceptional cases were seen at home . I never asked that ..I simply asked if they followed the guidelines of exempting those believed not able to under take the wca by their own doctor … No answer … Just told it could take weeks rather than days until I heard from them depending on how many cases were being dealt with .. I always thought we were human not cases !! After watching the recent articles going around the media i just wonder how they will decide on someone who has been disabled since being a child over 30 years ago .The stress of waiting to see what they decide on a bed ridden disabled person is agony enough let alone opening the dreaded letter of descision . Never asked to be disabled or suffer pain on a daily basis .Dont they realise how a disabled person would feel after a days work . Does the pain of certain impairments count for nothing !! I look forward to your week of action and hope it raises awareness but it seems like ATOS and anyone else providing this dreadfrul test would all act the same way the dwp tell them too. Carers are also being victimised as some gave up work and actually save the country money in doing the work for £58 per week that would cost that much or more if the person required help directly from local services (any that still exist). Disabled drivers help save the UK car market from collaspe and what we spend on other goods and services surely helps the economy. From now on any disabled person and carer and their families lives are at the mercy of the next wca or pip asessment ..Its not fair to have this added stress to already difficult lives . Its an attack on disabled peoples right to live a decent life and any attack deserves an offensive I can only hope our voices are heard and someone in power can stop the Rot !!

  20. It’s not just the horrendous, cruel assessment we have to cope with. Two years ago the Atos doctor lied about everything we said and his own tests on my son at his visit. Because I had suffered similar problems we got our specialist nurse to be there as a witness. Neither Atos or the DWP would listen. They kept saying we could have a witness there but my son had two witnesses and no-one would listen to them. I have contacted Panorama, Reader’s Digest, The Daily Mail and the Daily Express, most don’t answer or say it’s not what they do. Everyone is writing the sick and disabled off. My son’s forms are due at Christmas and of course I will have to be tested again. The stress is making our illness so much worse and I’m having serious suicidal thoughts. I just don’t think I have the energy or the strength to go through all that again. You can count on a letter from me.

    • This may sound simplistic but would not a mass campaign of non-cooperation with the assessment process result in its collapse? Send a letter stating that you refuse to participate in what is now acknowledged as a flawed process. ATOS’ could not meet the terms of their contract if they were unable to complete any assessments.

      • not unless you can think of a way to make up people#s incomes as all benefits would be stopped if they did this.

        • If it was done on a large enough scale there would be huge public opposition to stopping thousands of peoples’ benefits. And probably grounds for a massive class legal action against the DWP.

          • 11,000 disabled people a week isn’t large scale. 1 million disabled people to have benefits removed from them???

  21. How do I get a letter from me in the coffin? I don’t think I’ll be able to take part in the physical protesting but I have a computer and a phone and will absolutely take part in the other ‘events’ 😀
    Let’s show them what us ‘vulnerables’ feel about this!

  22. Maggie. Where did you read about ATOS and the BBC?

    • It’s been known for a while that ATOS were doing most of the IT support for BBC for Olympics and lots of ATOS admin staff work at the BBC on the IT side of things.

  23. Maggie, I agree. There is also a subtle link between ATOS, Steve Cram, and the BBC. I am able to boycott all teh BBC coverage of the athletics (with Steve “I don’t give ATOS” Cram’s commentary), as the athletics is covered on Eurosport. I would urge anybody else able to do similar, to boycott the BBC athletics coverage.

  24. Thanks Maggie this now makes perfect sense. This explains the total bbc news blackout regarding disability issues.

  25. ATOS will soon be running the country. I think the reason they are so prominent in Paralympics and Olympics is that they also run much of the BBC now. Since July 2011, the BBC has had its systems delivered by Atos. This is a huge contract and covers IT and broadcast engineering services. Not many people are aware of that.

  26. Does anyone have the knowledge to set up a relay that will send a tsunami of email to ATOS? No doubt they`ll have all the anti-virus / spam / *IP FILTERING* stuff in place, so I think multiple IPs would be the best way to go.

  27. The BBC Radio Merseyside radio programme ‘The Phillips Phone-in’, has featured many callers in the last few weeks, remonstrating and complaining vigorously about the threats to benefits, ATOS and the callous government of this country. The host, Roger Phillips, always gives the disabled a very fair hearing, and is very much a supporter of people in receipt of benefit payments, even though he is sometimes obliged to play devils advocate in the show.
    The programme goes out each weekday from 11.30am until 2.00pm. This is the most listened-to BBC local radio station in the UK, and would be an excellent conduit for your very laudable cause. You will not get a better audience anywhere for your cause, and you will I am sure gain huge support from Merseyside if you give them a call. The show goes out on the internet too. Radio Merseyside 0151 709 9333- The Roger Phillips Show

    Best wishes,

    Peter Lawless
    0151 931 5767

  28. after watching ch4 and panorama about the criminal w.c.a. i will protest at atos glasgow , cadogan st. and block their call centres with calls. anybody in the glasgow area ,please get in touch. alan .

    • I’m a Weegie Alan, as much as I’d love to protest with you, I can’t, what ever else I can do to help though, I will…Phone calls, letters, messages for “The Coffin”…? Thank you all for the amazing work you do on behalf of all.

    • I asked Atos if they would comment on the excellent Channel 4 ” Britain on the Sick” programme, in which undercover reporters exposed the injustice of the WCA. Atos replied that they were unable to comment on the content of any TV programme but added ” The Policy and Process of the WCA is determined by the DWP “. They said that I should direct any further enquires to the DWP.
      So basically ATOS are just doing as they are told by the DWP and picking up the cash.

  29. Fantastic- thank you DPAC. Count me in!

  30. how could grayling lie through his teeth on mondays panarama and deny fixing quotas on esa. when wiill british decency be restored to stop this unspeakable crime against disabled people.

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