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.

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New community service sentences for claimants

Posted: November 19th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Info on schemes | Tags: | 5 Comments »

The government has unveiled plans for yet another workfare scheme. This time, for six months at a time. In a press release on 8th November, Chris Grayling revealed plans to give community service type sentences to the long term unemployed. A trial is already underway in Derbyshire; Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland; East Anglia; and Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. In short, claimants are now being treated as criminals.

In a clear sign that the government intends to use forced labour to replace the gaps left in public service delivery, the provider guidelines suggest that a community placement would be appropriate at  Local Authorities and Councils, Government Departments and Agencies, Charities and third sector organisations, Social Enterprises, and Environmental Agencies.

In an interesting development, Atos, the IT company now infamous for its “work capability assessment” designed to deny sick and disabled people benefits, is running one of the trials. Ingeus (owned by city financiers Deloitte) is running the other.

This scheme adds another element of forced labour on threat of sanctions for claimants to the existing schemes:

See full provider guidelines for the “Community Action Programme” here.

5 Comments on “New community service sentences for claimants”

  1. 1 Workfare means exploitation « Harpymarx said at 6:44 pm on November 23rd, 2011:

    [...] Wycombe District Council We have to act now as further proposals of unpaid labour are being unveiled by the ConDems [...]

  2. 2 Boycott Workfare » Blog Archive » Forced to work for six months for no pay said at 12:42 pm on December 10th, 2011:

    [...] November we reported on a new workfare scheme that the government is “piloting”. Now hear from someone who has been [...]

  3. 3 Workfare … welcome to the nightmare « Harpymarx said at 3:12 pm on January 10th, 2012:

    [...] As Boycott Workfare state: [...]

  4. 4 Boycott Workfare » Blog Archive » An Account: Day 1 of 6 months said at 4:37 pm on February 16th, 2012:

    [...] full-time forced unpaid labour. It introduced a pilot scheme for this idea, the bizarrely named “Community Action Programme”, which is being implemented by profit-making “Welfare to Work” companies. We hear from one [...]

  5. 5 ATK said at 5:38 pm on March 11th, 2012:

    I’m on this and its terrible. Jobcenter just refer me to the CAP company to make complaints. Which incidentally is “pinnacle people”. I was only last working for 3 months over xmas but the situation is bad here and its hard to hold work just seem to pick up drips of temp work where possible. Still though apparently I need 6 months of training at 30 hours per week in a business like a charity shop i was told. I may be facing the full sanction of 6.5 months. I refused point blank not to work for less than minimum wage and said mandatory volunteering is a contradiction. I refused to sign his forms too that stated I agree to comply and work the 6 months and also a blank form which he told me that he wanted to me to sign and he would fill it out later. I was outraged. In the interim I’ve written to my local mp but not had anything but the receipt confirmation back yet.

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