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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New companies named and profits up

Bowing to public pressure, yesterday Holland and Barratt pulled out of the government’s workfare scheme, and now seem only able to afford to offer apprenticeships that pay £2.60 per hour. What they forgot to mention was that whilst using 1,000 unpaid jobseekers over the last year throughout its 250 stores, Holland and Barrett unexpectedly made a pretax profit surge of 19.4% to £60m.

Poundland, who are still in the scheme, have recently announced that profits are up 27% this year. The question is, with a potential workfare workforce of 2.6 million unemployed rising, and tens of thousansds of people already sent to work without pay, how many millions of pounds are all the other organisations profiting from workfare making?

In the meantime, why not pay a visit to some of the companies revealed today as part of the Week of Action?

Barclays Bank
The AA
Amigo
Compass group – Leeds General Infirmary
Costa Coffee
Food Court at Leeds General Infirmary
Queensland Multi-Media centre/Bridge to Success
The Range
Ty Hafan charity shop
ISS facilities
PKD Sporting Solutions Ltd
The Big Bargain company
Eleanor lions hospice shop
RSPCA
Travis Perkins
Butlins
Princess Yachts (!) (Despite being listed as a “Work Experience” opportunity from the Job Centre here at a time, the company claim they have never been involved.)
Harvester
Grosvenor Casinos
Wetherspoons

If you’re hitting your high street to take action this week, here’s a reminder of some of the other places you might like to pay a visit:

Age Concern, Age UK, Argos, Asda, Barnardos, B&Q, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research, Holiday Inn, Greggs the Bakers, Hilton Hotels, Marriot Hotels, McDonald’s, PDSA, Pizza Hut, Poundland, Poundstretcher, Primark, The Range, RSPCA, Salvation Army, Shoe Zone, Sue Ryder, Superdrug, Tesco, WHSmith, Wilkinsons, The Works.

The Arcadia Group is also involved. It includes Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Topman, Topshop, Wallis.

Sadly there’ll be others, so please let us know what you find out during the week. Our top tips for workfare sleuthing are here.

There’s loads of stuff planned throughout the week of action and more still to be announced, so let us know what you’re planning and send us your photos and stories afterwards.

Good luck everyone – we’re making a real difference!