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Week of Action against workfare – Charities stop exploiting the unemployed!

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!

You’re unemployed? Stand up against this exploitation: we won’t work for nothing to profit the rich! In work? Workfare attacks your wages and conditions, you could be sacked and replaced by workfare conscripts. If you care about human rights and dignity – join us. Our anti workfare actions are part of the global resistance to the austerity being imposed everywhere.

Why are we against workfare in Charities? We know first-hand what it really means.

Workfare helps hide swingeing cuts to support for charities by central government.

Real jobs that charity donors have paid to have carried out are forced onto the unemployed.

Many veteran volunteers have left British Heart Foundation in disgust as charity shops are swamped with unwilling conscripts. Workfare contradicts the voluntary ethos charities are supposed to uphold.

A claimant told us how his benefits were threatened after he left a Work Programme placement at BHF – where he was treated appallingly – and declined a placement at Barnardos. Only the intervention of Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty prevented him being left penniless.

Many charities are losing skilled volunteers – as they are being forced to instead do meaningless workfare at companies and even other charities! The unemployed lose real skill-learning opportunities to be compelled to stack shelves.

Since our latest actions were announced British Heart Foundation have announced they are “moving away” from the Mandatory Work Activity scheme. This is encouraging – but we need an assurance they have actually WITHDRAWN from ALL workfare schemes.

Read our blog on what’s wrong with charity workfare for more and check back as the week approaches for leaflets, and online action to take as well!

Our message is simple: If you exploit us, we will shut you down!

Actions announced so far:

Birmingham
Workfare’s Christmas Bonus For The Bosses

Brighton
Superdrug Steals Christmas

Dundee
Name & Shame: The Dundee Workfare Providers Tour

Edinburgh
Say No! To Unpaid Labour

Glasgow
Anti-Workfare Picket Against Superdrug
Stop workfare day of action

Leeds
The Leeds Tour of Workfare

Liverpool
Combat Workfare

London

Combat Workfare – Holloway Road
End unpaid work! Anti-workfare picket on Walworth Road
Keep the afternoon of 12th December free to have a surprise party at a workfare-using organisation!

 

Co-ordinated action will be taking place by Anti-Cuts groups and UK Uncut on 8 December as well.

Useful resources

Advance Notice for Charity Staff – one group put this together to inform Charity shop staff about protests

Feel free to adapt the following leaflets: