Tory MP: Disabled should work for less than minimum wage

Tory backbencher Philip Davies caused outrage today by telling Parliament that disabled people should work for less than the minimum wage, reports Shamik Das.

Tory backbencher Philip Davies caused outrage today by telling Parliament that disabled people should work for less than the minimum wage. The remarks were described as “outrageous and unacceptable” by a select committee chair, and “a preposterous suggestion” by a leading charity. Davies made his comments during a debate on the Employment Opportunities Bill, which had its second reading today.

Anne Begg, chair of the work and pensions committe, said:

“These comments are utterly outrageous and unacceptable. To suggest that disabled people should be treated as second class citizens is shocking and shows just what a warped world some Tories demonstrate they inhabit.”

Davies also said people with learning difficulties should be made to work for sub-standard wages – made to work for less than £5.93 an hour.

Responding, Mind spokeswoman Sophie Corlett said:

“It is a preposterous suggestion that someone who has a mental health problem should be prepared to accept less than minimum wage to get their foot in the door with an employer.

“People with mental health problems should not be considered a source of cheap labour and should be paid appropriately for the jobs they do.”

Last month, Davies described Britain’s contribution to international aid as “stark raving mad”; more sinister were his recent comments that there was nothing offensive about ‘blacking up’.

Davies had said:

“Why it is so offensive to black up your face… I have never understood this.”

As I said before, what a sad, pathetic little man Mr Davies is.

98 Responses to “Tory MP: Disabled should work for less than minimum wage”

  1. Dave Citizen

    Female person Eris – you really should think your comments through before spouting them out for all to see. The real world doesn’t operate according to your narrow example. Leon is absolutely right: where would you draw the line on “disability” – think of the costs and bad feeling generated by trying to find who could undercut wages and who couldn’t….. what a load of rubbish.

    And in any case – what sort of example would it set to have some people classed as inherently inferior to full pay “proper workers”. It’s so bad it’s almost laughable.

  2. Mason Dixon, Autistic

    Your sudden conscientiousness for the truth surprises me Mouse, I would have expected you to outright believe his claim.

    I looked into this and among the first results on Google is Philip Davies making the same claim in 2008 and included employees that are ethnic minorities My Autist-senses started tingling. Harriet Harmon gave the riposte that the Equality Commission publishes it’s pay figures so I went digging for them. But the Mail article itself states that the gap is just:

    “It stated the average salary for a male member of staff was £33,366 compared to £28,920 for a female.

    The average salary for a white worker was £30,803 compared to £29,035 for black and ethnic minority staff.

    Disabled workers were paid an average of £29,784 compared to £30,598 for non-disabled.”

    These are tiny differences compared to the pay nationwide pay gaps the Commission publishes reports on.

    Will keep digging for their self-report in case it throws any curve-balls or has been updated since 2008. But I’ve looked at a lot of comments made by Philip Davies today and never have I see such a dense concentration of falsehoods from an MP.

  3. Look Left – Tory MP says disabled should work for below minimum wage | Left Foot Forward

    […] Begg, chair of the work and pensions select committee, said: “These comments are utterly outrageous and unacceptable. To suggest that disabled people should […]

  4. Lee

    I’m 49 years old, have Asperger’s syndrome and have never worked. In order to get my first job I need to be able to offer an employer something, and I think that being able to work for less than minimum wage might just do it.

    I doubt that financially I’d be any worse off due to the complicated interaction between the various benefits I receive and the fees I have to pay to Social Services for my care.

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