Children are innocent victims of cruel and unfair benefit sanctions, says TUC

2 March 2015

Commenting on the report Time to Rethink Sanctions published today (Monday) by major UK churches and revealing that almost 100,000 children have been affected by benefit sanctions, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Something has gone badly wrong when 100,000 children are innocent victims of benefit sanctions. Under this government the sanctions system has become a cruel maze in which it is all too easy for claimants to lose cash for minor breaches of rules and random decisions. Even those who have contributed for years and are working hard to get a new job can find themselves sanctioned, and driven to food banks.

“There are now huge holes in the welfare safety net that whole families are falling through.  And Jobcentre staff have been forced to moved away from providing positive help to meeting sanctions targets in a culture that is too often about bullying both frontline staff and claimants.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

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Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Alex Rossiter  T: 020 7467 1285  M: 07887 572130  E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
Tim Nichols  T: 020 7467 1337  M: 07876 452902  E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk