Combat Workfare Returns to Poundland

A solid group of claimants, anarchists and activists continued to pile up the pressure on workfare profiteers Poundland and Tesco this weekend, with pickets set up at city centre stores in Liverpool. By stressing the purpose of a (retailer) picket line to shoppers, we were able to effectively turn away large numbers of people heading for poverty exploiters Poundland.

The Willenhall-based discount chain had the audacity to restart their ‘voluntary’ workfare scheme the day after the High Court rejected* claims that the government’s work schemes amounted to forced labour. What Poundland, and 100’s of other retailers, fully understand is working 30 hours a week for no wage is free labour and sourcing that labour through the state-as-employer guarantees that labour to be disciplined, indirectly, by the threat of benefit sanctions. Poundland calling the scheme voluntary makes no difference to the underlying exploitation the scheme is founded on.

For those who, bizarrely, support the idea of workfare, Public Interest Lawyers, who represented Cait Reilly in the High Court, have this to say on the idea of working for your benefits:

It is paid for one specific (and obvious) purpose – to support people whilst they seek employment.  It is not remuneration for work, and even if it were it would mean that people on Back to Work schemes would be getting paid as little as £1.78 per hour, often whilst working for some of our biggest retailers.

Whilst speaking with people about Poundland, it was brought to our attention that Marks and Spencer have also been dipping into the workfare labour pool. A shopper let on to us that her son has been working at M&S unwaged, as part of the fraud-ridden government work schemes. This backs up recent doubts over M&S’ Marks and Start programme that allegedly ‘helps’ the homeless, lone parents, young people and the long-term unemployed back to work by teaching them how to stack shelves. Yes, the hallowed work ethic is re-installed in the marginalized by forcing them to repeat the same actions over-and-over again as part of a bus fare & butty placement. Loyal customers will, understandably, be horrified to learn M&S is exploiting the unemployed, and Combat Workfare will do everything it can to let as many people know that their pre-packaged meals come with a forced labour price tag.

Our second target was State favorites Tesco who, despite making noises about withdrawing from workfare programmes, maintain their exploitation of the unemployed through veiled work ‘placement’ and ‘experience’ schemes. We gave out hundreds of leaflets at both pickets, informing people of the various workfare schemes that claimants can be subjected to and, as always, there was a great response from the public.

We cannot let these companies get away with the exploitation of the unemployed and we must counter the humiliating propaganda that's accompanying the rolling out of workfare across the country. Any of us could be subjected to forced unpaid work through the government's back to work schemes, so it's in the interest of all of us that we fight back. At the end of the day, workfare is an attack on the work and welfare of the unemployed and employed. It not only provides a source of cheap labour to profit-making companies, but it also undemines the pay and conditons of those already in paid work.

More actions announced over the next few days.

*The High Court ruling on the government’s workfare schemes is to be challenged

Combat Workfare Pickets Poundland

Compact Combat Workfare

A small, determined group of Anarchists/Activists set up outside Poundland in Liverpool, today, to keep up the pressure on a company practically flaunting their use of exploited, free labour. We targeted Poundland customers exiting and entering the store, and most were bemused to find out what Poundland have been up to under the radar. As a result of our leafleting, the customers we spoke to refused to shop at Poundland until they could be assured the low-budget exploiters had exited the Government’s macabre Workfare scheme. Poundland customer boycotts had also been buttressed by recent revelations that you can actually get better deals, for your pound, elsewhere on the high street. Shocker!

We had some excellent discussions with people about workfare, austerity and the depression/recession that is obscuring the general attack on the working classes. More Combat Workfare action against Poundland on the way: https://www.facebook.com/events/112872915532190/

Workfare Giants Training Unemployed During 'Skills for Work Week'

All this week, companies who’ve been caught out using workfare will be training the unemployed as part of a ‘skills for work week’ called Feeding Britain’s Future. This dubious racket has been set up by food and grocery experts IGD who’ve enlisted the services of supermarket giants, such as Tesco & ASDA, to give “10,000 young people access to real working environments and a feel for what it’s like in the food industry.”

Most people can tell you what it’s like working in the food industry without you having to waste a week finding out. It’s shit: shit hours, shit pay, shit benefits and shit protection. Alas, your Jobcentre Plus adviser has probably inveigled you into attending a useless “skills class” at your local supermarket on the basis that it will give you much needed experience that will encourage employers to hire you, and then potentially fire you in favour of the complimentary labour they could’ve squeezed out of you whilst you were unemployed.

That’s what basically happened at 2 Sisters Food Group  —signed up to Feeding Britain’s Future—, in the schnews recently for sacking 350 employees at their Leicestershire pie and pizza factory and then tethering 100 unemployed, to what Jobecentre Plus described as ‘pre-employment training’, at their Nottingham Pizza Factory —the pseudo-carrot being a guaranteed job interview at the end of the DWP sanction stick.

Certainly, there will be well-intentioned floor staff willing to show you a trick or two over the next few days, but the overarching absurdity of the ‘skills for work week’ is that companies who are ‘opening their doors’ to teach you about “responsibilities and expectations in the workplace”, and give you the “chance to work” in their stores, would very much like to obtain your labour power, your ability to work, for as close to zero as they can get it. When it comes to the food-industry’s ‘responsibilities and expectations’ they can be reduced, as with any other industry, to the simple requirement to 'profit-from' —aided and abetted by the corridors of power that represent government.

Tesco, Asda, 2 Sisters Food Group and 100’s of other retailers have been snatching-up unpaid workers since the inception of the Condem Work Programme and its predecessor back-to-work-programme under the Labour government. Direct action against companies who use workfare has resulted in several withdrawing from the government schemes. We must keep up the pressure on the profiteers and providers who will treat us with a contempt in-built into their constitutions. Our material interests are in direct opposition to that of the companies who seek to exploit us, and it is within this struggle, against our exploitation, that we can begin to re-locate the notion of what work should be, and not some suffocating illusion imposed on us by the state & business.

Feeding Britain's Future runs from the 17th - 21st September. You can view their website at http://www.feedingbritainsfuture.com and their twitter is @fbf_uk

Workfare Profiteers to Crash Bolton Jobs Fair

Workfare profiteers

This coming Thursday Bolton College is hosting a Jobs and Skills Fair on their Dean Road campus and, lo-and-behold, they’ve allowed a trio of workfare profiteers to exhibit at the fair. SERCO, Holiday Inn and workfare charity Barnardo's will be touting their wares to job-hungry Boltonians with a wink and a smile, no doubt making great effort to keep schtum about their complicity in the exploitation of the unemployed.

SERCO not only profit from lucrative Work Programme contracts, but have also been involved in numerous human rights abuses of detainees in their Immigration Removal Centres (IRC’s). In 2010, 84 women went on hunger strike in protest at their mistreatment by Serco security guards:

“70 women were locked in a corridor for up to eight hours without access to food, water, toilet or medical care. Many collapsed and about 20, who tried to climb out of the windows, were beaten up and taken into isolation cells.”

RAPAR

In 2012, Serco security guards in detention centres in Australia were trained to:

“…kick, punch and jab their fingers into detainee limbs and ‘pressure points’ to render them motionless.”

The Bureau Investigates

Detainees at Villawood Dention Centre, Australia, protesting over conditions

Considering Serco’s appalling abuse of asylum seekers —more accounts can be viewed here— you would’ve thought Bolton College had the wherewithal to check what companies they’re allowing onto their campus?

Barnardo's, as part of their involvement in the failing Work Programme, have been forcing their unemployed cohort (DWP slang for reserve army of labour) into KFC restaurants in order to gain “vital skills for the workplace.” Barnardo's argue they're only involved in voluntary work experience, but as Boycott Workfare points out Barnardo's “deliver the mandatory Work Programme and are complicit in the sanctions process.”

Security firm SERCO and do-gooder charity Barnardo's have another thing in common: they’re both in cahoots with the UK Border Agency. SERCO assist the UK government with its racist immigration policy —see London NoBorders for more info— and Barnardo's provide suspect ‘welfare provisions’ to children harmfully detained.

As Open Democracy explains:

“Given that medical evidence has demonstrated that even short periods of detention can cause significant harm to children—the fact that a leading children’s charity [Barnardo's] is complicit in keeping children detained at Pease Pottage for up to a week is an absolutely disgrace, and vindicates all the warnings that End Child Detention Now and fellow campaign groups have made about the collaboration of charities with the UK Border Agency.”

Open Democracy

Not only do we have highly questionable companies trying to recruit workers into shit jobs, but these same companies, specifically SERCO and Barnardo's, are exploiting unemployed workers whilst committing human rights abuses against migrant families.

Holiday Inn, due to direct action by Boycott Workfare in March, publicly announced their withdrawal from workfare, but there are suggestions that they’re still using forced unpaid workers in their hotels, according to Boycott Workfare’s list of workfare providers.

It’s not just Bolton College who should be taking a serious look at who they’re rubbing shoulders with: Bolton Council, Bolton at Home and the University of Bolton are all partners of the Bolton Jobs and Skills Fair.

And last but not least, what kind of jobs fair would this be if we didn’t have our good friends Jobcentre Plus to cast a watchful eye over proceedings. Yes, Jobcentre Plus, tendril of the Department for Work and Pensions, are also partnering the event and, hysterically, in their partner introduction describe themselves as an organisation that “aim[s] to tackle poverty”.

Bolton Jobs and Skills Fair 2012 takes place this Thursday, 20^th September, at Bolton College, Dean Road Campus. If you're in or from Bolton and free on Thursday, it's highly recommended you pay this trio of scumbags a visit and give them some hella grief. 

Why not drop them a tweet at:

@SercoW2W
@HolidayInn
@Barnardos 
@FindYourFutureB  
@BoltonCollege 

or leave a comment on their Facebook pages: 

Bolton College http://www.facebook.com/BoltonCollege

Barnardo's http://www.facebook.com/barnardos
Holiday Inn UK http://www.facebook.com/HolidayInnUKIreland
Bolton Jobs & Skills Fair https://www.facebook.com/FindYourFuture2012?ref=ts

For more more information on the Boycott Workfare Campaign visit: http://www.boycottworkfare.org

Immigration, Anarchism, and the Exploited Worker: Combat Workfare Joins the National Day of Action Against Workfare Charities

As part of a national day of action against charities that use workfare, Combat Workfare gathered in Liverpool City Centre on the 8^th September to keep up the pressure on charities and high street retailers who continue to unashamedly exploit claimants as a source of complimentary labour, courtesy of the heinous Department for Work and Pensions.

Chandlery killers Poundland were the first to be picketed, and with good cause: days after the high court ruled the government’s workfare schemes didn’t contravene Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Poundland started shouting their mouths off in the press about resuming their ‘work placement scheme’. So, naturally, Combat Workfare were on hand to notify Poundland customers of Poundland’s exploitation of claimants and simultaneously upset the predictable rush of city-centre security busting for a confrontation after a sneaky line of coke behind John Lewis.

Combat Workfare picket Poundland

The majority of Poundland customers (& passers-by) were, and are, sympathetic-to and in solidarity-with anti-workfare campaigns and those subjected to workfare. Unfortunately, there is an undercurrent of racist disinformation that is, time-after-time, regurgitated without consideration, and serves no other purpose but to divert attention away from the real causes of unemployment. Therefore, steps must be taken on future actions to debunk the myths surrounding Immigration and the alleged ‘association’ between immigration and unemployment, which right-wing flarfs take great pleasure in seeing people absorb, and certain people take great comfort in having someone to blame for the phenomenon of —capitalist necessity for— unemployment.

Disinformation also swirls around the word ‘Anarchist’, or most words prefixed by Anarch-, to the extent that people, in general, associate the word with chaos and destruction, as evidenced at the Poundland picket by a health worker walking past, supportive of the picket but ‘uncomfortable’ with the word Anarchist, which he recommended should be removed from a banner to avoid scaring people. Hmmf! “Anarchism has had so much negative PR that people are closed off before they give themselves a chance to listen to what activists are saying” points out Israeli activist Uri Gordon; fortunately, there are plenty of people who know what Anarchism really stands for and are more than willing to contribute to the neutralisation of “negative PR” that intentionally stifles a critical understanding of the society we exist in.

Leaving Poundland with taunts of “We’ll be back!” Combat Workfare moved on to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), who currently exploit claimants to staff their charity shops alongside what they describe as “pure volunteers”. There is clearly a certain sensitivity surrounding picketing a charity shop, particularly if people passing by are not quickly informed as to the reason for the picket, so we were quick to keep up a stream of announcements via loud haler and quick to leaflet and engage people about BHF’s blatant use of workfare. The response was surprisingly positive, with BHF customers refusing to shop at the Liverpool branch until the charity had withdrawn from the workfare schemes. The British Heart Foundation is part of a cadre of UK charities who’ve decided it’s okay to accept claimants forced into Mandatory Work Activity and into unpaid work, so long as it doesn’t affect their profit and credibility. But, they cannot hide behind their sacred shield of charity for much longer, as they take donations from people with one-hand and sign exploitative contracts with the Department for Work and Pensions with the other. The jig is up and the BHF are starting to look more and more like a capitalist racket (were they ever anything else?) than a do-gooder charity.

Combat Workfare picket British Heart Foundation

Finally, Combat Workfare targeted workfare profiteers Argos, who continue to exploit claimants as if it’s their duty. Combat Workfare unfurled banners and began leafleting people about Argos and their exploitation of workers, be they employed or unemployed. Again, the response from people was overwhelmingly positive and we will continue to campaign against Argos and any other racketeers who consider the exploitation of claimants the ‘status quo’.

Workfare is part of a broader attack on the welfare and work of people in and out of work. Not only is workfare supplying a free source of labour to profit-making companies, it undermines the pay and conditions of those already in work, whilst immiserating the conditions of those out of work. Several narratives are being used to smother any coherent response from the working classes, for example the “benefit scrounger” narrative, used to pit the employed against the unemployed; and the immigration myths, mentioned above, used to deflect attention away from the capitalist causes of unemployment. We must continue to fight this dividing propaganda along with the companies and institutions who seek to further atomise the working classes.

Next Combat Workfare is on the 22nd September. More info here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/280895945355129/

Liverpool Combat Workfare Tour of Shame - Sat, 8th September 2012

Part of the Boycott Workfare National Day of Action

The fight back against Workfare continues on Saturday September 8th with a Liverpool Workfare Tour of Shame through the city centre, targeting corrupt retailers who continue to exploit claimants as a source of unpaid labour.

Workfare involves forcing claimants into unpaid work or face loss of benefits. 10’s of millions of hours of unpaid work have taken place at profit-making businesses, such as Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Argos, Peacocks and Currys/PC World. Recently, charities, such as Scope, Salvation

Army, Cancer Research UK and the RSPCA have been exposed as using claimants forced to work in their shops or face loss of benefits under the supposedly ‘voluntary’ Work Experience scheme.

“There is little evidence that workfare increases the likelihood of finding work. It can even reduce employment chances by limiting the time available for job search and by failing to provide the skills and experience valued by employers.” This came from a Research Review by the Department for Work and Pensions, who ignore their own research and continue to roll-out Workfare on a national scale.

Workfare is part of a broader attack on the welfare & work of both the unemployed and employed. Not only does workfare supply a free source of labour to profit-making companies & charities, it undermines the pay and conditions of those already in paid employment.

100’s of High Street retailers are still involved in Workfare schemes, but there is a growing list of retailers who have withdrawn from the schemes due to direct actions targeting their stores.

Join the Liverpool Workfare Tour of Shame on Saturday 8th September and combat workfare. Bring banners & noise and let’s send a message to the Workfare profiteers:

IF YOU EXPLOIT US, WE WILL SHUT YOU DOWN!

Targets & meeting place will be announced nearer the time.

 

Combat Workfare Tour of Shame Facebook event:  

https://www.facebook.com/events/139097942896711/

Boycott Workfare National Campaign: 

http://www.boycottworkfare.org/

Conservative Think Tank Fueling Attack on Benefit System

The following quotes are taken from Policy Exchange reports on Welfare Reform published throughout 2011.

Policy Exchange is a Conservative think tank that “has established itself not only as the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right”. It has also been described as David Cameron’s “favourite think tank”. It's been run over the years, and still is, by a cadre of right-wing shitbags who've made full use of the revolving doors of power: the current chairman of Policy Exchange is Danny Finkelstein, who is also Executive Editor of The Times.

This will be a smack in the teeth if you’re a claimant, but essential reading to understand the ideology, rhetoric and method of attack the Government is employing as it continues to dismantle/restructure the benefit system as part of a global reimposition of work. Many of the think-tank’s recommendations have, or are, being implemented by the Government, particularly those centred on back-to-work Welfare reform.

One of the most disturbing proposals by Policy Exchange is this:

“…Work Programme providers should be allowed to put in place schemes and measures that act as a deterrent to claiming.”

And of particular concern is the introduction of data profiling; the complete outsourcing of employment support to the private sector; cross-benefit sanctions; electronic sign-in at jobcentres; and electronic tracking of jobseeking activity.

I urge claimants/anti-workfare campaigners/jobcentre staff (who will face massive redundancies), who are not aware of these reports, to read these quotes and then take a look at the ridiculous evidence Policy Exchange includes in support of its recommendations to Government.

No Rights Without Responsibility: Rebalancing the welfare state
Friday, 20 May 2011

http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/no_rights_w-o_responsibility.pdf

“Evidence suggests that the requirement to move onto these [Workfare] schemes has been effective in increasing exits from benefits.”

“The ambition should be that job search becomes more like the typical 35 hour week of those in full time employment.”

“Those claimants who do not qualify for contribution-based JSA should be required to search for any work from day one of their claim.”

“Sanctions need to become a stronger tool for influencing the behaviour of those who fail to fulfil activity conditions. Instead of impacting on only one part of one benefit, they should be more closely related to total benefit eligibility.”

“…stronger conditionality for those without a [National Insurance] contribution record and higher benefit levels for those who have contributed.”

“…fast-tracking claimants to the Work Programme." 

Personalised Welfare: Rethinking employment support and Jobcentres
Friday, 16 September 2011

http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/personalised_welfare_-_sep__11.pdf

“We propose that more information (such as entire claimant history, qualifications and sanction history) should be made available to advisers to determine the most appropriate interventions. Advisers should also be given access to other information the government may hold on a claimant –through the NHS, the police and the justice system, for example.”

“…we propose developing a Jobseeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) … it can include things like family circumstances, language skills, ethnicity, living arrangements, country of origin, transport, workplace support needs, geographic location (especially remoteness from centres of employment), recent work experience, homelessness, criminal record and qualifications.”

“…we believe that the JSCI would be greatly improved by the use of profiling data.”

“…we believe that it would be prudent to divert people from the system in the first place. This could be done by increasing work search requirements before benefits can be claimed.”

“…we propose that, in the long-term, responsibility for employment support is transferred completely to the private and voluntary sector.”

“…all income-related, active job search claimants should be required to write a CV at the initial point of the application process and a national CV database should be created.”

“For a large portion of claimants we suggest using electronic sign-ins at Jobcentres on a fortnightly basis (with code numbers through Jobpoint stations, for example), perhaps at changing times for claimants without childcare responsibilities.”

“…claimants would have a permanent record.”

“…personal targets [for Jobcentre Plus advisers] linked to job sustainability should be used as the key basis for performance reviews and remuneration – rather like recruitment agencies or Work Programme providers in the private sector.” 

Something for Nothing: Reinstating conditionality for jobseekers
Monday, 17 October 2011

http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/something%20for%20nothing%20-%20sep%2011.pdf

“We propose removing the [3 day] waiting period and replacing it with a Required Search requirement that stipulates that claimants have to actively seek work for two weeks to be eligible for benefit.”

“…reviewing the types of activities that count as ‘jobsearch activities’ and requiring more of them to take place in order for a claimant to be eligible for benefit.”

“…Work Programme providers should be allowed to put in place schemes and measures that act as a deterrent to claiming.”

“Claimants who leave the Work Programme will, under current plans, recycle back on the main Universal Credit conditionality regime. We propose that a full-time workfare scheme is introduced for claimants in this position who have also been assessed as having attitudinal problems.”

“We recommend the introduction of a points based system. Under this system, claimants would need to build up a certain number of points a week”.

“A new system should be introduced that is capable of tracking and monitoring claimants’ jobseeking activity and flagging those individuals who appeared not to be undertaking sufficient activities to meet their points target.”