What a week of action!

Leeds Unemployed Action Group exposed the workfare providers in their area

Another hugely successful and diverse week of action across the UK, saw actions in over twenty locations across the UK, hundreds of people step up the pressure with phone calls and online action, and even an Early Day Motion tabled in Parliament.

Holland & Barrett pulled out of workfare the day before its stores were to see more protests across the UK. The week ended as it began with yet another big high street name wavering in its use of workfare. Savers have said that they will use the people currently doing workfare until their placements expire, but it will not be taking on any new workfare workers, until it has spoken to ministers about concerns that if people refuse to they will have their benefits stopped.

Let’s hope they don’t buy the government’s line that the placements on the Work Experience scheme are now voluntary. Sanctions have only been temporarily suspended. People are still told that they risk losing benefits if they do not go on the scheme, and people who refuse are threatened with a mandatory scheme instead. So we will be keeping an eye on Savers. They wouldn’t be the first organisation to publicly claim that they have pulled out of workfare, only to sneak it back in. Which takes us to Scope.
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Response to Scope’s, 12 July, “Comment on the Boycott Workfare campaign” statement:

Scope’s Andrew Adair responded quickly to today’s calls from members of the public to end forced placements within Scope’s stores. However, Boycott Workfare are disappointed that Scope will continue to use workfare – despite its stated commitment to volunteering. The campaign has understood Scope’s anti-workfare position, as set out in its April statement, and welcomes the charity’s intentions, if not its practices.

However, the point being made today by those who have phoned, left Facebook messages, and tweets, is not to question the function of volunteering, but to illustrate that Scope’s involvement in Mandatory Work Activity placements contradicts this position. The point has also been made that the Work Experience scheme when turned down by jobseekers has led to a referral onto Mandatory Work Activity by jobcentre staff, and in some instances, its voluntary nature made unclear.

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Dial-A-Provider: More Scope & A4e: DAY 4

Thanks to all who made calls, sent tweets, and posted Facebook messages yesterday. Efforts were well worth it leading to an afternoon statement from Scope as seen here. If not already busy tweeting, its release caused a further twitter flurry, annoyed as many were that a sincere concern opposing forced placements had been translated back as an anti-volunteering sentiment. Highly questionable too is Scope’s defence of “a robust placement agreement” when the charity is cited in a 12 June, DWP press release (see case study 1) as facilitating Mandatory Work Activity placements.

Friday’s action is a return to yesterday’s, and we are asking that those who were unable to make a call, tweet, or send a Facebook message to do so today – keeping up the pressure. Or maybe Scope’s reply has made some want to call again?

Complaints: 0808 800 3333
(freephone on landline)
Head Office (ask for retail dept.): 020 7619 7100
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Dial-A-Provider: A Little Extra Charity: DAY 3 (Thursday 12th July)

Good work to all who made calls to the Salvation Army, Age UK, Cancer Research and Barnardo’s on Monday. Keen not to leave things here and keep up some momentum, today is another chance to take action.

Scope

Scope had suspended their involvement in the Work Experience scheme earlier in the year, but the reassurances made after its revision that it had become sanction-free lulled the charity back. Whilst true that the scheme is no longer mandatory, it is the experience of Boycott Workfare that job seekers are led by an impression that it is compulsory by jobcentre staff. What evidently hasn’t been made clear to Scope is that the threat of sanction continues to hang over those job seekers turning the scheme down in the form of looming Mandatory Work Activity. And so where the charity had been concerned before, they should remain so.

What should be very alarming to Scope is the news that one of its stores has been taking on MWA placements: which given its stance against forced placements the charity ought not be be pleased to hear.

It is well worth revisiting the charity’s concerns with a phone call, and to talk through what’s happening with them.

Complaints: 0808 800 3333
(freephone on landline)
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Forced unpaid domestic work, Emma Harrison and Burger King pull out!

Not content to be in the headlines on Thursday, welfare to work magnate Emma Harrison, was at it again. Having stepped down as “Families Champion” on Thursday, on Friday she stepped down as chair of A4E. We hope the journos keep digging, after all quitting two jobs in two days, there must be more stories out there.

Burger King have pulled out of DWP Work Experience. But let’s not get carried away. Let’s hope they don’t “do a Poundland” and step back from one forced unpaid work scheme but remain involved in another. Other brands are hedging their bets, by solely suspending their involvement. Here’s a reminder of who they are: Scope, Matalan, Argos, Superdrug.

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Workfare: it’s far from over…. Argos, Scope and Oxfam

Not to be outdone by Tesco’s sense of entitlement to profit from forced labour, Argos is also defending its widespread use of workfare, and has issued this shameless response to complaints raised by members of the public:

“We can confirm that Argos does not have a policy to recruit colleagues through the governments Work Experience Programme, but we do make use of it to offer work experience… Christmas is our busiest time of year and we are pleased to provide the opportunity for work experience during this time.”

Not much overtime for Argos employees over Christmas then. Despite increasing calls for Tesco’s to quit workfare and action which shut one of their shops for an hour today, they are still clinging on to the boost that forced unpaid labour gives their profit margins. Read the rest of this entry »