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!

Being sent on workfare? Tell us where using the Name & Shame form.

Please note, we are in the process of updating this page. If you notice anything that needs changing, or know of a workfare provider not listed, please use our Name and Shame form or email us with the details and as much evidence as possible.

A4e
The AA [Source: @StockportJCP on Twitter]
Accident Helpline
Acorn Computer Recycling (Mandatory Work Activity, personal testimony, Dec 2012)
Age Concern
Age UK has pulled out at a national level, though its 170 Independent stores may remain involved
Alpha Stream – Kent
Argos – also tweeted by South Shields JCP in Feb 2013
Asda
Asian Star Community Radio LTD
ATS
Barnardos
Bedesworld – Work Experience scheme, tweeted by South Shields Job centre Feb 2013
BHS – British Home Stores [1] – claim to have pulled out
Blue Arrow
Bookers Wholesale
Boots – Claim to have pulled out
Bournemouth City Council
B&Q
British Heart Foundation
BT
Burger King – claim to have pulled out
Burton
Carillion – Kent
Cancer Research – Have withdrawn
Close Protection UK
DB Accident Repair – Kent
DC Cleaning  Sussex
Debenhams
Diamond Glass Medway – Kent
Dorothy Perkins [1]
Dunelm Mill (also personal testimony, Nov 2012)
Envirostream – Kent
Evans [1]
Finsbury Park Business Forum
FP Mailing [Source: Interview with Director, LBC Radio 27/6/12]
F&S Interiors – Kent
Go Response – Kent
Helen & Douglas House Hospice – Maidenhead
HMRC
HMV [3] – claim to have pulled out
Holiday Inn – claim to have pulled out
Holland & Barrett – claim to have pulled out
Homebase
Gorgie City Farm – have informed us that they do not take part
Greggs the bakers
Grosvenor Casinos [Source: @DundeeTayside Jobcentre Twitter]
Haven House Children’s Hospice
Hilton Hotels
JA Glover – Kent
Jessup Electrical Wholesale Ltd – Kent
JJ Vickers & Sons Ltd – Kent
Kennedy Scott
Kent Flooring Supplies – Kent
Kent Space – Kent
Kingston Community Furniture (MWA, personal testimony, Dec 2012)
Marriot Hotels
Maplin – have tweeted that they have withdrawn, awaiting statement
Matalan – have suspended workfare. Keep up the pressure for them to drop it!
Mayhem Paintball – Kent
McDonald’s
Medway Council
Medway Tyres – Kent
Miss Selfridge – claim were never involved
Mr Gleam – Sussex – claim were never involved
Newham Council
Newhaven Community Development
Olympic Glass – Kent
Omnico Plastics Ltd – Kent
Outfit [1]
Payless – Kent
PDSA (several sources including personal testimony of MWA, Nov 2012) – has now pulled out thanks to your efforts!
Pizza Hut – scheme “under review” – keep up the pressure!
Plumbase – Kent
Poundland – tweeted by South Shields JCP in Feb 2013
Poundstretcher
PPDG
Primark
Process Plant Services Ltd – Kent
Quality Savers
RBLI
Refurb project (MWA, personal testimont, Dec 2012)
Regency Guillotine – Kent
Richmond Fellowship
Romney Resource Kent
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (Note they have made 50-60 staff redundant in each of the last 3 years)
Royal Mail
RNR Performance Cars – Kent
Saffron Acres Project
Sage UK
Salvation Army
Savers
SERCO
Scope
Scout Enterprises
Sense (Mandatory Work Activity, personal testimony, Dec 2012)
SERCO
Servest – Kent, London
SHOC Slough Homeless
Shoe Zone
Signs & Imaging Ltd – Kent
Sixhills Aquatics (Work experience, personal testimony, Nov 2012)
Slough Library
Slough Furniture Project
Southern Membranes Ltd – Kent
Southern Metal Services – Kent
Southern Roofing & Building Supplies – Kent
Storie Argyll Ltd
Stephens Fresh Food – Kent
St Oswald’s Hospice shops (MWA placements, personal testimony, Nov 2012)
Sue Ryder (Work Experience, MWA and CAP)
Superdrug – has now pulled out!
Swan Lifeline – Windsor
Tate Recruitment
Tesco
Timbermills
Toni & Guy
Topman [1]
Topshop [1]
The Range
The Conservation Volunteers
Town and Country Cleaners Kent
Wallis [1]
WD Close & Sons
Westvic Enamellers – Kent
Wetherspoons
WHSmith
Whittingtons Silk Flower & Plant Centre – Kent
Wilkinsons – Feb 2013 – say they have withdrawn
The Works
YMCA (Mandatory Work Activity, personal testimony, Dec 2012)
Yorkshire Linen Company

References:

[1] Arcadia Group
Click here.

[2] Asda, Tesco, Tussauds Group, WHSmith, Royal Mail, Greggs…
Click here.

[3] “The names and locations of organisations participating in the Work Programme in the South East (Kent, Surrey and Sussex) Contract Package Area by providing mandatory work placements through the DWP’s prime providers G4S and Avanta Enterprise Limited and their subcontractors.”
Click here.

[4] “A list of those organisations signed up to provide work placements (4 weeks, unpaid) under the Mandatory Work Activity and Mandatory Work Programme schemes as referred by JCP and its linked provider (A4E & Maximus) in the Thames Valley area, listing each name by town heading (Reading, Slough… etc).”
Click here.

  • British Heart Foundation – out of Mandatory Work Activity, still play some part in the Work Programme, never announced exactly when workfare will completely end in their shops.
  • Poundland have said they will pull out of the Work Progamme but remain in the Work Experience Scheme
  • Tesco are still involved in the scheme
  • Argos – despite telling the Guardian that they had suspended involvement, they are now back at it
  • Superdrug – see their tweet which claimed they’d suspended involvement but we’ve since has evidence they are using the Work Experience scheme again

Read more about the companies profiting from setting up these placements here.

Pizza Hut say they have the scheme under review. Matalan suspended their involvement. We look forward to them confirming that they will stop involvement in any of the government’s workfare schemes.

The following have stated that they are not involved:

  • Miss Selfridge
  • Mr Gleam wrote to tell us that they have never been part of the scheme.
  • Friends of the Earth – see their statement on Twitter
  • Capability Scotland – Say they were falsely listed on an MWA tender document and accidentally took workfare at one of their stores, but no longer will.

Hold them to it!
Ask in your local stores to confirm that no one is on DWP “Work Experience”, Mandatory Work Activity, the Community Action Programme, Sector Based Work Academies, or Work Programme placements: all of these are forced unpaid work, or workfare schemes. Let us know if you hear otherwise.

Workfare Placements organised by A4e Holloway, under Flexible New Deal
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/77563/response/196264/attach/html/2/1743%20Reply.pdf.html

4 ACRES
4 ACRES LIMITED PALMERS GREEN
ABNEY PARK CEMETERY
A-CLASS FOOTBALL FOUNDATION
BARAKAH MINI MARKET

BOOKERS CASH AND CARRY
BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION (Camden)
BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION (Crickle Wood)
BTVC
CENTRE WESTMINSTER
CHARITY SHOPS IN VARIOUS LONDON PLACES
DAYLIGHT
DOREEN HAIR FASHION SALOON
ENVIRONMENT AND REGENERATION
FINSBURY PARK  BUSINESS FORUM
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
HANDEL HOUSE MUSEUM
HARRIOTS
HIGHGATE NEWTOWN COMM CENTER
HOME START
HOMES FOR ISLINGTON
HORNSEY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
KILTRO(UK) LTD
LINCOLN HARTFORD SOLICITORS
LIVABILITY
MARIE CURIE
NORFOLK TRUCKS
OXFAM BOOKSHOP
OXFAM BOOKSHOP HIGHGATE
P.D.S.A
P.H.A RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS
RESTORE  COMMUNITY PROJECT
SAINT MUGUS
SALIBURY MEWS HARINGES
SPRINGBOARD UK
ST. MARY PRE-SCHOOL
STRATEGIC PRO. OFFICE, ISLINGHTON
STUDIO 28 LIGHT AND DESIGN
SUNNYSIDE ECOLOGY CENTER
TRADE LIMITED
WESTMINSTER VOLUNTEER CENTER
WHITTINGTON HOSPITAL
Y.M.C.A.
YMCA GOODGE ST.
YMCA KENSINGTON
1′OCLOCK CLUB BARNSBURY
ARABIC CAREER DEVELOPMENT
ASDA STARES EDMONTON GREEN
ASPIRE FOUNDATION
BARDENS CAFÉ
BBC/subell leisure centre
BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION
CAREFREE KIDS
ESSENTIAL RUBBER
FINSBURY + CLERTRNWELL VOLUNTEERS
FINSBURY PARK BUSINESS FORUM
FINSBURY PARK BUSINESS FORUM (MARSHALLS
TEAM)
GARDENING
HACKNEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
HIGH GATE NEWTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE
HIGH GATE NEWTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE (POOR
SCHOOL)
MARIE CURIE
MATRIX COMPLEX
OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
OXFAM BOOKSHOP
PRAMP
RESTORE COMMUNITY PROJECTS
RICHARD CL SCHOOL
ROBERT BLAIRE PRIMARY SCHOOL
THE R.S.P.C.A.
WHITTINGTON HOSPITAL
WILLIAM FROST GARDENING
WORKING MEN’S COLLEGE
ANGLO-CHINESE ARTS COUNCIL
4 ACRES
A4E
BTCV
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMS TRADE – Since this placement, CAAT was the first NGO to sign up to the pledge not to accept workfare.
CARE UK
EALING HAMMERSMITH & WEST LONDON COLLEGE
FINSBURY PARK BUSINESS FORUM
GARDENING
HIGH GATE NEWTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE
HIGH GATE NEWTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE
HOME START
HOUSE STREET CHARITY BOOKSHOP/GILLESPIE
PARK NATURE RESERVE
LIGHT PROJECT INTERNATIONAL
MARIE CURIE – Marie Curie have since withdrawn
MEDOUET
OXFAM
OXFAM BOOKSHOP
PETER BEDFORD HOUSING ASSOCIATION
RESTORE COMMUNITY PROJECTS
ST. JOHN’S STREET LIBRARY/AGE CONCERN
Whittington hospital
WHITTINGTON HOSPITAL
YMCA CAMDEN
OXFAM BOOKSHOP
a4e CAMDEN
A4E WOOLWICH
BARAKAH MINI MARKET
CANCER RESEARCH UK
CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION
FINSBURY AND CLERKENWELL VOLUNTEERS
FINSBURY PARK BUSINESS FORUM
HARINGAY VOLUNTARY SERVICES
HIGHBURY NEW PARK DAY CENTRE
HIGHGATE NEWTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE
LONDON FELD PRIMARY SCHOOL
MIGRANTS RESOURCE CENTRE
MONTEM PRIMARY SCHOOL
OUR LADY KENTISH TOWN
OXFAM BOOKSHOP
RESTORE COMMUNITY PROJECTS
ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE
SAINSBURY’S GOLDERS GREEN
SIMPLY ACCOUNTABLE
SUE RYDER CARE – CITY OF ISL.
TINY TOTS NURSERY/HG COMM CENTRE
VOLUNTEER CENTRE HAMMERSMITH
WHITTINGTON HOSPITAL
YMCA
YMCA CHARITY SHOP