Open Letter to 'Modernisation' Project Manager from Jill

Project Manager
Helen Lockett
helen.lockett@ukonline.co.uk


Dear Helen

I see from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health Website that
for the past 18 months you have been project managing the
modernisation of employment and day services within Surrey
& Borders Partnership NHS Trust.

Since June we have been campaigning against the withdrawal of £3 a day payments to workers with disabilities at SABPTs Priority Enterprises especially the Old Moat Garden Centre. We have been told this £3 a day cut is part of this 'modernisation' excercise.

We believe the action to cut the £3 a day wages to nothing directly contravenes the Disability Discrimination Act and that all the Priority Enterprises schemes are not complying with the Minimum Wage Act. In fact a recent government report highlights this problem:

'Employers paying below legal minimum often use disability of workers as excuse

Posted: 21 August 2006 | Subscribe Online
writes Helen McCormack

Employers that pay people less than the minimum wage often say they are doing so because a worker is disabled, the government said today.

The excuse features in a Department of Trade and Industry list of the top 10 “unusual or outlandish” defences used by employers to explain why they have breached the national minimum wage rules.

It follows a government report earlier this month that warned a “worrying” number of employment providers were paying people with learning difficulties less than the minimum wage of £5.05 an hour.

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It seems to me that we require explanations from you and your
colleagues/employers at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
concerning your policies for complying with the Disability Discrimination Act and the Minimum Wage Act. We feel that the disabled workers at the Priority Enterprises schemes have been disgracefully treated by having their already derisory £3 a day pay cut to nothing and that this action cannot be justified on the grounds of 'modernisation'.

It certainly is not in the best interests of the disabled workers involved. I understand that your funding comes from The Gatsby Foundation who state on their website :

'Welcome to The Gatsby Charitable Foundation website. The Foundation makes grants for charitable activity which it hopes may make life better for people, especially those who are disadvantaged.'

The action to cut the wages from £3 a day to nothing is certainly not making life better for the disadvantaged disabled workers involved and so I suggest
your actions in this modernisation policy directly go against your funders policy.

Please reply with a detailed explanation of your policies and actions in this matter.

All replies or lack of replies will be reported on our ongoing campaign blog

at http://justice4sabtworkers.blogspot.com/

Yours Sincerely

Jill Goble

campaigner and psychiatric survivor.