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06.05.2020 / News / Covid-19

Over 100 members join UVW Universal Credit workshop

Over 100 members joined our Spanish language Universal Credit workshop today.

Participants were from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Poland & the UK and worked across around 40 different companies as cleaners in both private and public sector and in the hospitality sector.

Rosa Crawley, who works for the Citizens Advice Bureau in Lewisham and has more than 10 years of experience in the benefits system, facilitated the workshop. The workshop was a great success, and UVW plans to form a group to help members claim their benefits and prevent sanctions.

The workshop showcased the strong interest from everyone present for UVW to organise around and collectively resist evictions and combat other landlord abuses. Results from our live Zoom poll which was completed by 82% of those present in the workshop confirmed the following:

1. Over 50% of the members in the workshop currently receive benefits;

2. The most common benefit they receive is a Housing Benefit;

3. 36% earn exactly the London Living Wage (LLW) of £10.75, 16% earn more than the LLW and 49% earn less than the LLW;

4. 100% of those who replied to the poll said they would want to strike after lockdown for either the LLW, Occupational Sick Pay (OSP) or proper PPE, with the highest interested in striking being over OSP.

Members also described their favourite thing about UVW in survey responses, with answers ranging from: “our constant fight for workers rights”, “our personal treatment of members” and “the feeling that I know someone will be there for me if I need it”.

For more trainings and workshops – in English and Spanish – please check back on our website regularly.

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