Another rocky week for workfare

Pizza Hut’s restaurants faced protests across the UK about its involvement. Photo: Howard Jones

More evidence has emerged revealing the people who are really profiting from workfare. The Guardian exposed that Conservative Party donors have benefited from £73 million in “welfare to work” contracts, including a scheme which awarded an £800 bonus for every workfare placement organised. Embarrassingly, one of those implicated is the Director of Iain Duncan Smith’s ironically named “Centre for Social Justice”. But we know that Labour are at it as well. More on this soon.

Eager to cash in, Bournemouth College have been caught advertising people on the Work Programme to businesses on ‘a try before you buy’ basis. Local activists raised the alarm, and the College has since changed this offensive sales pitch on their website, but not before the original advert was saved in all its glory here.

You know workfare is in trouble when right wing industry think-tank CESI has admitted “It could prove to be a very expensive failure if it doesn’t get people into jobs.” This is in light of recent DWP research showing that Mandatory Work Activity has “zero effect” on helping people find work.

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Action across the UK

Workfare: doesn’t work and not fair. Photo: Howard Jones

Across the UK people are finding creative and effective ways to bring down workfare. Here’s a flavour of some of the things that have happened recently:

* On 31st March, shops using workfare were targeted on high streets in over 20 locations across the UK

* In Birmingham, guided “Workfare walk of shame” actions have put pressure on local store managers and engaged the public. Read their guide to organising a walk on your high street here.

* In Liverpool, there’s been two actions in the last fortnight.

* After years of struggle, Edinburgh Claimants have won the right to be accompanied to meetings with A4E.

* Brighton Benefits Campaign have picketed their local A4E.

* In London, Chris Grayling had to find an alternative entrance (we suspect through the rubbish area) to an event entitled “Putting employers at the heart of the Work Programme”.

* On Mayday, high street stores which profit from workfare were again the target of protests.

Coming up…

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Anti-workfare demos continue

On Saturday the 31^st March, more anti-workfare actions will take place around the country, proving that the issue of workfare is not going away. Following the success of the 3^rd March Day of Action, groups across the UK have continued to organise creative protests showing the spontaneous nature of the campaign with its vast support from a variety of different groups and people across the country. Why not join an action near you?

In other developments, the government has given the nod for fraud to continue in the workfare industry, by cutting the number of investigators whose job it is to investigate fraud which has been committed by workfare providers, such as A4E. On top of this, workfare providers were given another bonus today. They are set to be rewarded for their failure, with yet another taxpayer handout to the tune of billions of pounds, to ‘deliver the benefits system’.