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Young could be hit by qualifying period
The TUC has warned the Conservative government not to punish young workers and their families in its drive to prevent EU migrants from accessing in-work tax credits and other benefits.
Prime minister David Cameron has sought to introduce a four-year residency requirement for EU migrants before they can claim tax credits and other benefits including housing benefit and child benefit.
But without changes to the EU legal framework requiring all member states to agree, blocking access to these benefits for EU citizens would fall foul of EU anti-discrimination law.
According to news reports in August, a government paper has proposed getting round this by introducing a four-year qualification period which would also apply to UK citizens. However, this could lead to young UK workers also being denied access to benefits as they would not be able to begin the qualifying period until they turned 18.
About 50,000 young people would be affected, according to the BBC. The rule change might also affect UK citizens who have returned from living abroad.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Young working families should not have their support sacrificed by David Cameron to please his hard-line backbenchers.”
The TUC warns that care leavers, disabled people, young parents and pregnant women would be penalised, as well as migrants.
“If he carries on like this, Cameron will find it harder to build the public support needed to remain in the EU,” O’Grady added.