Posted: January 15th, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Name and shame, Public Sector | No Comments »
Following cuts to the library service in Lewisham, MWA placements are being used. (Photo: Jeffrey Beall / Flickr)
This week Boycott Workfare has been alerted to the use of workfare to fill the void in a heavily cut library service. The reported placement was for four weeks under the Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) scheme in Sydenham Community library, Lewisham, now run by “social enterprise” Eco Computer Systems, a computer recycling company. The outsourcing of the public library service, and now resulting workfare, is part of the Lewisham Council’s £88 million cuts programme that has seen nearly half their libraries outsourced.
Lewisham’s transfer of 3 public libraries to Eco Computer Systems was done under the premise of engaging the local community with the library service in the face of huge cuts. However there is no hiding the scale of the cuts as the outsourcing has seen a 66% fall in books issued at Sydenham community library. The only community engagement there now appears to be is forcing people to work for free.
On their website explaining the new “community” libraries Lewisham Council give no mention to workfare, instead stating that the libraries will be staffed “by a combination of Eco Computer Systems staff and volunteers”. With no mention of the forced nature of at least some of these “volunteers” we have to wonder where else Lewisham are allowing paid staff to be replaced with workfare.
Over the last year 75% of MWA placements were in charities. This dependence on charities combined with the recent high profile withdrawal of the larger charities is resulting in providers struggling to find placements. This placement in Sydenham could be a worrying indication that MWA providers will be increasingly pushing for workfare to replace severely cut local council jobs.
Posted: January 9th, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Info on schemes, Welfare to work industry | 1 Comment »
Workfare: doesn’t work and not fair. Photo: Howard Jones
Last week saw the Labour Party announce its own form of workfare: the Job Guarantee. Labour, who introduced workfare and welfare reform into the UK whilst in government, now guarantees a number of things: It guarantees that yet again politicians will give billions of taxpayers’ money to subsidise big private businesses – probably the likes of failing and government contract reliant A4E, and workfare-users ASDA – helping them to drive up their profit margins. It guarantees to further undermine real job vacancies as companies replace job roles with subsidised compulsory short-term placements.
Labour, like the coalition government, also now guarantee to undermine the idea of a living wage, which just two months ago Ed Milliband appeared to champion. After all if a company can get staff forced to work for it, both provided by and subsidised by the state at minimum wage, why pay the living wage? Indeed, earlier announcements about the scheme suggest that it will include 10 hours unpaid, so will also be far below minimum wage. In addition, Labour’s ‘guarantee’ will only last for six months. With a revolving door workforce on tap, why would an employer create permanent jobs? As this campaign has revealed, workfare replaces paid employment, and undermines the wages of people already in work, who have seen their overtime and hours reduced: Debenhams is the latest to use workfare to staff its shops during the busy festive season.
With each placement lasting only six months, Labour guarantees to use its scheme to massage the unemployment figures, not giving those who finish their placements anything to go on to, but effectively resetting the clock on their long term unemployment. If you refuse to take part, then Labour guarantees harsh sanctions. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: January 2nd, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Action report | 3 Comments »
Campaigners celebrated when A4e lost some of its contracts following corruption investigations
In 2012, people power pushed back the spread of workfare. The campaign to stop workfare is a testament grassroots action: people doing what they can and supporting others. Whether you stood up for your rights or told others about theirs, tweeted, posted on facebook, emailed, leafleted, talked to people, or took to the streets for one of many creative actions, here’s a few highlights of what you helped achieve…
The government believes our campaign could make the schemes “collapse”
In August 2012, the Information Commissioner ruled that the names of all organisations involved in Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) should be released. The DWP has appealed this decision, revealing in its papers that it considers protests could make the scheme collapse:
“Previous targeted campaigns had resulted in the withdrawal of providers from MWA and WE [work experience]… Put simply, disclosure [of names] would have been likely to have led to the collapse of the MWA scheme.”
In 2013, this information could well be released, but we can make the schemes collapse anyway. Every week, people use Boycott Workfare’s name and shame form to tell others who is using workfare and together we can keep up the pressure on those profiting from forced unpaid work.
We have made tens of high street brands and charities withdraw from workfare
A growing list of businesses and charities have pulled out of workfare schemes as result of public pressure. A few examples below…
HMV “I understand that some groups may be planning protests outside various retailers (who participate in the schemes) tomorrow and over the next few days. I don’t know whether you are in contact with anyone involved in this activity, but if you can kindly make them aware that we have now reviewed our policy and announced to national media as you requested that our stores locally are no longer taking part in government work experience scheme”
Oxfam “Oxfam does not offer placements for participants in the mandatory work activity, or compulsory elements of ‘work for your benefits’ schemes…We do this for two reasons: firstly, because these schemes impact unfairly on the support people receive, and so are incompatible with our goal of reducing poverty in the UK.”
Holland & Barrett Withdrawing on the eve of a UK-wide Boycott Workfare day of action, the Guardian reported: “A multinational company that was one of the pioneers of the government’s employment programme has pulled out of the scheme, saying it was no longer prepared to face further bad press and in-store protests and would now pay all its workforce.”
At the start of 2013, following a week of action in December, several large charities look set to join the list of those who will no longer take part.
We have shaped the language of the debate
“Workfare” has been a dirty word since its implementation in the US, so former DWP minister Chris Grayling was particularly annoyed that it has become the language of the debate in the UK.
He was quoted complaining:
“One word that kept recurring was ‘workfare.’ In none of our titles of our schemes or any of the principles of our schemes is workfare. It is all about job search.”
We have shrunk the number of workfare placements
Published in December 2012, a DWP report into Mandatory Work Activity complained that it was unable to find placements for everyone because:
“The high profile withdrawal of placements from a number of larger charities meant a sharp reduction in placements.”
We have reduced the threat of sanctions on some schemes
In February 2012, there was a huge grassroots response to workfare, triggered by an advert for unpaid nightshifts in Tescos. As a result, sanctions on three of the five schemes were temporarily suspended:
“staff are asked to take immediate steps to ensure that no claimant of any age is sanctioned under the existing rules for failing to take up, attend or leaving the Jobcentre Plus Work Experience scheme, the Work Experience element of sector-based work academies and work experience arranged by Work Programme providers”
Guidance has now been issued which makes this suspension permanent for the Work Experience scheme, and for placements which are not for ‘Community Benefit’ from the Work Programme.
Given that the sanction regime has been intensified so that people now risk loss of benefits for up to three years, and that the number of sanctions has tripled under the new government, removing sanctions from any scheme is an important success. But we know people are still told that they will be sanctioned on these schemes or threatened with mandatory schemes if they don’t ‘volunteer’ which is why we will keep campaigning for an end to all workfare.
We have helped people defend their rights
As highlighted by lawyers in Cait Reilly’s judicial review, many of the schemes have been rolled out without information being published in the public domain about them which would enable people to know whether their referral was mandatory or not, and whether the correct procedure has been followed.
We have worked with consent.me.uk and donotsign.com to discover what the regulations for the schemes are and to support people to access their rights. One person who successfully avoided workfare told us their story:
“My job advisor told me that I’ve been mandated to work inside a charity shop for which I was expected to work 30 hours a week just to receive my Job Seekers Allowance. When I asked “Is it mandatory, that I have to do it?” my job advisor said “Yes.” At first I believed what my job advisor told me until I found the Boycott Workfare website which had links to other websites like consent.me.uk which highlighted you shouldn’t be referred onto MWA if you’re already doing your own voluntary work, which I was. When I next had my appointment to sign on and see my Job advisor I brought a copy along… it was agreed that it wasn’t necessary for me to go onto the MWA.”
In 2013, let’s keep it up, let’s make workfare collapse!
2013 brings with it the threat of unprecedented attacks on ordinary people who need social security to survive. With the introduction of Universal Credit in 2013, low-waged and part-time workers will be sucked into the jobsearch and workfare conditionality which has until now usually been directed at the unemployed. Sick and disabled people claiming ESA now also face the threat of workfare. But your success in 2012 in campaigning against workfare shows what we can achieve when we all do what we can to challenge injustice. The government fears that workfare could collapse because of public pressure – let’s make sure it happens!
Posted: December 15th, 2012 | Author: boycottworkfare | Filed under: Action report | Tags: Leeds | No Comments »
On the 8th of December Leeds Unemployment Action Group took part in a national protest against companies and charities involved in workfare. We headed onto the streets of Leeds protesting outside various charities like the British Heart Foundation and Scope to companies like Shoe Zone. Talking to members of the public we raised awareness around how exploitative Workfare is not just for the unemployed but those in paid work as well.
Boycott Workfare’s week of action continues today with demonstrations in Kings Lynn, Brighton, York and Staines.
Posted: December 13th, 2012 | Author: boycottworkfare | Filed under: Call to action, Charities | 2 Comments »
Keeping up the pressure on British Heart Foundation in Brixton on Wednesday 12th December
The continued exodus of charity shops from the Government’s workfare schemes leaves the Mandatory Work Activity scheme looking perilously close to collapse.
Oxfam, Marie Curie and Shelter, who all refused workfare in their stores, have now been joined by others. Scope say they are ending mandatory work schemes as have Age UK (though not necessarily in their independent stores). Cancer Research UK have said they are pulling out of mandatory work activity placements. Meanwhile British Heart Foundation have said they are ‘moving away’ from mandated work, though have continued to take placements in their stores.
It now seems that the largest providers of mandated workfare are likely to be conservation and environmental charities such as The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), a mis-named charity who have been quietly building an army of unpaid workers.
TCV (formally known as BTCV) , have previously boasted of employing 20,000 unpaid workers on various government schemes since the 1980s. They currently hold lucrative contracts with the DWP to deliver Mandatory Work Activity. The so-called charity have forced 589 people into unpaid work, often for private companies on this scheme alone.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 12th, 2012 | Author: boycottworkfare | Filed under: Info on schemes | Tags: Community Action Programme | 1 Comment »
More news of workfare schemes that fail to help people into jobs came out last week, as the first examination of the “Very Long-Term Unemployed Trailblazer” is released. The headline is that being sent on the Community Action Programme (CAP) – a 6 month workfare placement – has no effect on employment levels with 15-18% of people finding work – the same amount as people who simply got standard job centre plus support.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 8th, 2012 | Author: editor | Filed under: Action report | 1 Comment »
Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty challenge Superdrug replacing paid staff with workfare. Photo: Bill Joseph
Protestors blockaded and occupied both British Heart Foundation and Superdrug in Edinburgh today Saturday 8 December, in opposition to their participation in the government’s workfare schemes.
A huge banner declaring IF YOU EXPLOIT US WE WILL SHUT YOU DOWN blocked the entrance to the BHF furniture store in Leith’s Kirkgate centre as demonstrators occupied the shop. Impromptu speeches were given inside and out, explaining that although BHF had claimed to be “moving away” from workfare, they were still taking on new compulsory placements.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 7th, 2012 | Author: editor | Filed under: Call to action | 4 Comments »
A week of action kicks off on 8th December
Workfare now for sick and disabled people
Since Monday, sick and disabled people claiming ESA can now be forced to work without pay. As if this isn’t bad enough, many of their placements will be with the very charities which are meant to support disabled people. Charities such as Scope, Sense and British Heart Foundation are all profiting from workfare. See a longer list here and the full list here.
But what we do is having an impact: yesterday Age UK announced they were pulling out (although their independent stores may still be involved); Scope claims to be reviewing its involvement; British Heart Foundation has not pulled out completely, but has announced it is “stepping back”.
Replacing Christmas staff
We’ve had reports that Argos and Superdrug are systematically replacing paid Christmas staff with workfare. They’re not the only ones. Asda was definitely at it this time last year. We’ve heard from staff at Shoezone too.
If they exploit us, we will shut them down!
Take action this week
There’s loads of actions planned in the coming week. Find out what’s happening near you, and if there’s nothing announced yet, decide what you’d like to do!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 4th, 2012 | Author: editor | Filed under: Call to action | 21 Comments »
Take action 8th December onwards
Many companies and charities have pulled out of the government’s workfare schemes when met with pickets and direct action that put these exploitative schemes in the spotlight.
But charities including British Heart Foundation, Scope and Barnardos and many companies like Poundland, Argos and Superdrug still subscribe to schemes which force the unemployed to “work for their benefits”. That’s why Boycott Workfare network are calling A Week of Action against Workfare, focusing especially on the charities involved.
You are urged to join the action which starts on Saturday, December 8th! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 3rd, 2012 | Author: editor | Filed under: Charities, Name and shame | 3 Comments »
Cancer Research have told the Guardian they are pulling out of Mandatory Work Activity – but what about the other schemes?
From today, the Government will force sick and disabled people to do workfare. Under the guise of “community benefit placements” Jobcentre staff and companies such as A4E will send people to carry out workfare, not for four weeks or even the six months as currently being experienced by 18-25 year olds in Derbyshire. No. People claiming ESA in the WRAG group, people who may be seriously ill with cancer, have disabilities or mental health issues will be expected to work unpaid on threat of benefit sanctions for an ‘unspecified length of time’.
With providers now bribing companies and charities to take people on workfare, it is no surprise that the DWP has admitted that ‘community benefit’ extends to working in for-profit organisations too. The most vulnerable members of society now face working without pay quite literally till they drop. Last year 1,700 disabled people died within weeks of being found “fit for work” by the IT company paid by the government to ruin disabled people’s lives, Atos.
Read the rest of this entry »
