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Workfare Can Be Broken – Join the Week of Action and help make it happen

McDonalds shuts its shutters

Take action on your high street or online

Take part in the week of action 18-24 March

The Government is pushing ahead with increasingly savage workfare policies despite the fierce resistance to the scheme causing many high street names and national charities to pull out.

Unemployed people can now be sentenced to six months compulsory unpaid work as part of the Community Action Programme. On December 3rd last year – International Disabled People’s Day – the DWP introduced forced work for sick and disabled claimants.

Companies such as Superdrug, Argos and McDonalds, who have all been quick to take on unpaid workers on government schemes, have seen a year of boycotts, pickets, demonstrations and occupations due to their involvement in the scheme. Many national charities have pulled out as a result of protests, but some, such as The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), Salvation Army and Sue Ryder Foundation are unrepentent about their army of government subsidised unpaid workers. Many of the new workfare programmes depend on charities like these to provide placements.

Workfare can be broken by showing these organisations that the public have clearly rejected unpaid work. Evidence has shown that mandatory work has no impact in actually helping someone find a job, the stated aim of the scheme. Instead workfare is used to replace real jobs, with some companies even caught taking on unpaid workers to fill temporary Christmas positions.

Join Boycott Workfare on 18-24 March for a week of action against workfare exploiters everywhere. Take action in a town or city near you, join in online and show all those who profit from forced labour that we mean it when we say “if you exploit us, we will shut you down”.

Organise now and contact Boycott Workfare on Facebook or info[at]boycottworkfare.org to be added to the national list of actions:

Birmingham – Sat 23rd March 1pm – Outside Poundland Corporation Street

Bournemouth & Poole – Four days of leafleting outside work programme providers. More details here.

Brighton – Wednesday 20 March, Fighting the Assault on Welfare, Public meeting, Friends Meeting House 7.30pm,

Brighton – Friday 22 March , Universal Jobmatch demo/leafleting, Brighton Jobcentre Edward Street 11am

Brighton – Saturday 23 March – Anti-workfare picket of Poundland meet Clock Tower 12 noon

Bristol – Sat 23rd March – End workfare in Bristol

Edinburgh – Sat 23rd March, meet 12 noon, Kirkgate shopping centre, foot of Leith Walk, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6AD. Organised by Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty. Action against companies and charities using workfare.

Edinburgh – also… Mass leafleting of A4e, 11am – 2pm Wed 20 March, A4e, 34 Earl Grey Street Edinburgh EH3 9BN

Glasgow – Sat 23rd March, 11am, Argyle St.

Leeds – Sat 23rd March, 12.30pm, outside Leeds Art Gallery

London – Sat 16th March – ‘Blitz Sleuth’ of London high streets to find out where workfare is still being used. See the Facebook event.

London – Sat 23rd March – Workfare actions with Sol Fed & Feminist Fightback. Meet: Superdrug on Leytonstone High Road at 1pm sharp. Or action in Wembley tba.

Nottingham – Sat 23rd March – Meet 2pm at Burton.

Sheffield – Sat 23rd March. 1pm, outside the Central Library.