Boycott Workfare is a UK-wide campaign to end forced unpaid work for people who receive welfare. Workfare profits the rich by providing free labour, whilst threatening the poor by taking away welfare rights if people refuse to work without a living wage. We are a grassroots campaign, formed in 2010 by people with experience of workfare and those concerned about its impact. We expose and take action against companies and organisations profiting from workfare; encourage organisations to pledge to boycott it; and actively inform people of their rights.

Know your rights on workfare schemes!

“Poundland got free labour. I got nothing.”

Posted: June 26th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Action report | Tags: , | 2 Comments »
Boycott Workfare supports Cait outside the court

Boycott Workfare supports Cait outside the court

Today and tomorrow, the legality of workfare is being challenged in the courts. Two claimants are subjecting workfare to judicial review. They are Cait Reilly, who was forced to work for Poundland without pay, and a man who had his benefits stopped for six months when he did not agree to clean furniture full-time and unpaid for half a year.

Cait Reilly said outside court today “Poundland got free labour. I got nothing… It is time to support people looking for work, not punish them.”

Boycott Workfare and people across the UK wish them every success as they expose workfare in the courts. Speaking at the end of the first day, Liz Wyatt, a member of Boycott Workfare said: “Today Cait Reilly’s lawyers showed that not only is the government compelling people to work without pay, it is doing so without even publishing people’s rights. The scandal of forced unpaid work in the UK is being exposed and we hope the judge will act to quash all workfare schemes. This case could establish that they’re not only wrong, but also unlawful.”

See the lawyers’ press release here. The case will conclude on Wednesday, but the judge’s decision may not be given immediately. The gallery is open to the public if you would like to go and show your support.

Take part in the campaign to end workfare – forced unpaid work:

  • Take part in a communications blockade of workfare profiteer A4e today. See the Facebook event.
  • Take part in the week of action against workfare on 7-14 July. More here.

2 Comments on ““Poundland got free labour. I got nothing.””

  1. 1 Bluebell Eikonoklastes said at 11:34 pm on June 28th, 2012:

    Forced Labour in this form seems blatantly illegal to me and the administration have a bloody nerve expanding it while is under judicial review, hope the court sees it this way. Good luck and Solidarity!

  2. 2 Lord Stapleton said at 10:56 am on July 3rd, 2012:

    Poundland got free labour… and have just posted record results as their profits soar (02.07.12). The retail giant has delivered a pretax profit up 50% to £18.2m from last year’s £12.2m as the retailer sites continuing to attract value-conscious shoppers in the economic downturn. Was this really the effect of our society being forced to purchase cheap China imports or was it actually a reduction of their overheads? I think they owe some of their prior workforce a salary, don’t you?

    Shortened links here:
    http://bit.ly/OVl3zM
    http://bit.ly/NXmc58
    http://bit.ly/MOmJs0

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