IT company Atos has confirmed it is seeking to end its government contract to assess whether benefits claimants are fit to work.
wider report here
They claim it's because of death threats to staff. Excuse me while I tune up the world's tiniest violin at their new-found concern for little people.
I think it's more likely they can't make the contract work or find it's damaging their reputation - funny that, isn't it?
I'm not condoning death threats but I feel very little sympathy for the health care professionals (fucking big cough there) who choose to do this work and can't cope with robust criticism verging on abuse.
What did they expect?
I'm a member of a despised trade and even I wonder how these people sleep at night. We all have to pay the mortgage, but if you choose to do the job, you deal with it.
Because some of the people just open your letter and cry. Or just kill themselves without bothering you. Or just die of terminal cancer after being assessed fit for work because they can press the keys on a keyboard.
I don't feel sorry for ATOS or their assessors for one moment. But I'm enjoying the Government's bleating about ATOS painting their own view of this.
Surely that's what they were contracted for in first place and should be congratulated for it. Maybe they should even get a bonus?