Kate Osamor MP – Weekly Update – Friday 15 July 2022

A visit to the Hibiscus Women’s Centre

I visited the Hibiscus women’s centre to meet some of the incredible individuals they help. Hibiscus Initiatives is an amazing charity that provides trauma-informed services for Black and migrant women in the community and prisons. Through their work in immigration removal centres, they support families, women and men. I spent time meeting those they have helped and continue to help.

Those I spoke to raised a number of key issues with me, from biometric card delays, restricted work permission, unsuitable housing conditions to no-recourse to public funds. It was moving to hear directly from people impacted by these problems. These are issues that my constituents contact me about every single week so I’m sadly all too familiar with the way in which the Home office victimises so many, leaving them in a state of limbo.

In Parliament I continue to campaign for an end to the Hostile Environment, the no-recourse to public funds condition and for the right to work. The Home Office needs to stop treating people as if they weren’t humans, with the same dreams and ability to contribute to our society that we all have.

It’s time for a new deal for workers

As the Tory leadership candidates compete to cut the most taxes ordinary people continue to suffer from the cost-of-living crisis. With no response from the Government to the crisis, workers across the country have begun to organise for better work and conditions. After a decade of flat-lining wages Britain needs a wage rise. The Government needs to step up with a new deal for workers that improves pay and conditions.

After 12 years the record of the Tories on working rights and pay is clear. Pay has stagnated and is now declining. Employment rights have been eroded and ruthless corporations have been allowed to exploit workers on zero-hour contracts. Now the Government has voted to undermine the right of workers to organise by allowing companies to bring in untrained agency staff when workers strike.

Important recommendations were made in the Taylor Review and by the Low Pay Commission and it’s unfortunate but not surprising that they were ignored by the Tories. This Government has a record of ignoring expert advice, commissioned by the Government itself, when they clash with their political preferences. That is not the way in which any Government should operate.

Strong workers’ rights are essential if economic growth is to benefit the majority of us and not just a minority at the top. The Government must introduce the promised Employment Bill which includes those recommendations from the Taylor Review and Low Pay Commission. Workers deserve better than this.

Being disabled shouldn’t be a disadvantage.

On Thursday I was delighted to have the chance to visit the Emirates Stadium with other members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Disability. We were able to see first-hand the important work that Arsenal have been doing to promote accessibility and work with disabled people in the local community.

Sadly, the rights of disabled people and their ability to equally access all parts of society has taken a hit over the last 12 years but Arsenal are showing just how much can be done by those with power to promote equal opportunities.

Of course, it’s essential the Government takes the lead and ends its cruel treatment of disabled people via the benefits system, but at a community level so much can be done to create an environment in which disability isn’t a disadvantage. The Government could learn a lot from these community led projects.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor MP