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Welcome to TUDA, the Trade Union Disability Alliance
TUDA – the Trade Union Disability Alliance – is an organisation of Disabled
Trade Union Members. We are a campaigning group with individual members from
over two dozen different Trade Unions. TUDA aims to:
• Co-ordinate the perspective of Disabled people in the Trade Union movement;
• Bridge the gap between the Trade Union and Disability movements;
• Work within, and lobby, Trade Unions to ensure they make their own services
accessible and relevant to Disabled Members;
• Ensure that Trade Unions support our continuing campaign for full civil rights;
• Promote understanding of disability as an equalities issues, giving talks
and training to Trade Unions;
• Work with Disabled people to persuade them of the benefits of Trade Union
membership and activity.
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RIP Sean McGovern
We, the members of TUDA would like to pay our respects to Sean McGovern, who died on 6/May/2020. He was a comrade, and a socialist, who had devoted his life to the fight for equality for disabled people, in the workplace and in society at large.
He also served as secretary of TUDA for several years and remained a member of our executive committee. He was active in DPAC, and ROFA as well as representing disabled members on the TUC General council. He was also heavily involved in running the TUC Disabled Workers conference. He will be missed by all those who had the privilege of knowing him.
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campaigns
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TUDA PRESS RELEASE:
Supporting the Remain in the EU Side of the Referendum
The Trade Union Disability Alliance (TUDA) Executive has decided to endorse the call for the UK to remain in the European Union. Though there are good arguments that support both ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’, TUDA believes that on balance disabled people will be better off in the EU that out.
Nobody can predict with any degree of accuracy how exactly we would fare as disabled people outside the EU. We can however look at the progressive policies we have gained through the EU. In areas such as employment, transport, accessibility and funding for training disabled people in the UK have benefitted.
Since the banking crisis of 2008 UK disabled people have seen their benefits, services and rights eroded. Without the protection of EU legislation and directives our rights could be further stripped away. Here is some general legislation the EU has given us:
As disabled people we are protected by this legislation. And here is some of the protection that EU legislation specifically affords disabled people in the UK:
Nobody can predict with any certainty that an exit from the EU would endanger all or any of the benefits disabled people and others have won from Europe. However, when we look at the political leanings of prominent Brexit supporters it would be foolhardy not to expect a Conservative government headed by Boris Johnson along with Michael Gove and Iain Duncan-Smith in influential positions not to attack employment and civil rights.
As noted by others, the current EU is a neoliberal machine that does largely favor business and capital. Yet the history of the EU has shown that it has, and I argue can again, espouse a more social if not socialist program of policies. A UK inside the EU can go some way to affecting such change; a UK outside the EU cannot affect any change.
Vote to Remain within the EU on June 23rd; and convince other disabled people as to the benefits of remaining part of the EU.
Seàn McGovern
TUC General Council Member for Disabled People, Unite the Union
For more information please see:
Frances O’Grady, (TUC General Secretary) and Owen Jones Video
DPAC -Disabled People-Stronger and safer inside the EU
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Jeremy Corbyn talks in Coventry
Owen Jones meets Jeremy Corbyn
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TUDA Opposes the CUTS to Access To Work.
TUDA is opposed to the government’s plan to cap Access to Work at £40,800 from October 2015; and to contract out the assessments to a private company – ATOS has been mentioned. So TUDA supports the campaign to oppose these appalling changes.
Please see Stop changes to Access to Work
There will be a march on Saturday 26 September unsupport of Access to Work. For more information about this march please click here.
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Assisted dying bill.
TUDA supports the campaign to oppose the assisted dying bill because we believe that this would be abused, and consequently many disabled people would be coerced into ending their lives, NOT “in order to end their suffering” but for the convenience of their relatives or simply to relieve society of “the burden” of meeting their needs.
TUDA opposes the closure of the independent living fund and consequently supports the campaigns run by Unite and other organisations that are fighting for its reinstatement.
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To contact TUDA or if you wish to join, E-mail us at info@tuda-online.org
Or you can write to:
TUDA, (C/O) Berni McCrea,
44 Circular Road,
Jordanstown,
Newtownabbey.
BT37 0RG