Poundland Girl Wins Forced Labour Ruling
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Not really, the judicary supported the government on principle, and found against them on a technicality. You know this, because you have never lacked understanding, only honesty.
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Latest from Boycott workfare.
Workfare: we are the opposition!
Posted: March 28th, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Action report | No Comments »
Edinburgh’s actions shut two workfare exploiters down!
Last week thousands of people around the UK took action against workfare, and it’s already had results! Superdrug have declared that they are pulling out of workfare. The pressure on those charities and businesses still profiting from unpaid work stepped up massively. Online actions saw Debenhams decide to cancel a live Facebook Q&A, and the Salvation Army respond to visits to its headquarters and online pressure by claiming “workfare does not exist”!
Action on high streets across the UK saw shops that use workfare closed down, letters delivered to workfare users, and chalking appear on the street pointing out workfare profiteers. Read more about actions in Edinburgh, Bristol, London and Nottingham – just a few of the many cities that took part in the week of action.
It was a week where, with the exception of only 57 MPs who voted against it, both the Government and the Opposition supported a bill which denied justice to 300,000 people. They rushed through a retroactive law to rob £130 million from people who were due repayments of unlawful benefit sanctions. Shamefully, the Labour Party are now lying to justify their actions: pretending that people could not have appealed wrongful sanctions without the bill; and that no sanctions were possible without it.
It was a week where what everyone already knew was revealed: Job Centre staff have targets to sanction people, to make thousands destitute. 827,660 people were sanctioned between April 2011 and October 2012, and the number of sanctions for single parents has increased 1500% in four years. Some job centres have even offered easter egg incentives to advisors who ruin the most lives.
It was a week when Christians boosted the campaign by mobilising with Christianity Uncut to challenge charity workfare, where one in five people are sanctioned. While the Salvation Army boast that they are helping sick and disabled people to “emancipation through employment”, stories have emerged of what this can mean in practice. One person contacted us to tell their brother’s story:
My brother was sent to work at the Salvation Army shop. Whilst working in the shop, he picked up scabies. This was diagnosed by his doctor who told him not to go back there. He was sanctioned by the DWP for 2 months. Up until last year this man had worked for most of his life, losing his long term job after being laid off. This has to stop.
We would like to thank all those who have taken part to help stop people facing the impossible choice of workfare or sanctions.
The campaign is growing and you are making the difference. In the last month, your action means nine more organisations will no longer take part in workfare: Sense, PDSA, Shoe Zone, Wilkinson’s, Superdrug, Capability Scotland, Sue Ryder and the Red Cross have all pulled out. The Children’s Society has pledged “All volunteering at The Children’s Society should be done by choice and under no obligation from any other agency.” Elsewhere we saw a housing association pull out of the Work Programme bringing it yet again a step closer to collapse.
And it doesn’t stop there. Yesterday, campaigners in Edinburgh let Iain Duncan Smith know what people think of his ‘welfare reforms’. Liverpool have already called a week of action in April. The charities and companies profiting from workfare still need to hear from you. When you win, you win for others so keep up the great work and lets keep winning!
http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2381#more-2381
Workfare: we are the opposition!
Posted: March 28th, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Action report | No Comments »
Edinburgh’s actions shut two workfare exploiters down!
Last week thousands of people around the UK took action against workfare, and it’s already had results! Superdrug have declared that they are pulling out of workfare. The pressure on those charities and businesses still profiting from unpaid work stepped up massively. Online actions saw Debenhams decide to cancel a live Facebook Q&A, and the Salvation Army respond to visits to its headquarters and online pressure by claiming “workfare does not exist”!
Action on high streets across the UK saw shops that use workfare closed down, letters delivered to workfare users, and chalking appear on the street pointing out workfare profiteers. Read more about actions in Edinburgh, Bristol, London and Nottingham – just a few of the many cities that took part in the week of action.
It was a week where, with the exception of only 57 MPs who voted against it, both the Government and the Opposition supported a bill which denied justice to 300,000 people. They rushed through a retroactive law to rob £130 million from people who were due repayments of unlawful benefit sanctions. Shamefully, the Labour Party are now lying to justify their actions: pretending that people could not have appealed wrongful sanctions without the bill; and that no sanctions were possible without it.
It was a week where what everyone already knew was revealed: Job Centre staff have targets to sanction people, to make thousands destitute. 827,660 people were sanctioned between April 2011 and October 2012, and the number of sanctions for single parents has increased 1500% in four years. Some job centres have even offered easter egg incentives to advisors who ruin the most lives.
It was a week when Christians boosted the campaign by mobilising with Christianity Uncut to challenge charity workfare, where one in five people are sanctioned. While the Salvation Army boast that they are helping sick and disabled people to “emancipation through employment”, stories have emerged of what this can mean in practice. One person contacted us to tell their brother’s story:
My brother was sent to work at the Salvation Army shop. Whilst working in the shop, he picked up scabies. This was diagnosed by his doctor who told him not to go back there. He was sanctioned by the DWP for 2 months. Up until last year this man had worked for most of his life, losing his long term job after being laid off. This has to stop.
We would like to thank all those who have taken part to help stop people facing the impossible choice of workfare or sanctions.
The campaign is growing and you are making the difference. In the last month, your action means nine more organisations will no longer take part in workfare: Sense, PDSA, Shoe Zone, Wilkinson’s, Superdrug, Capability Scotland, Sue Ryder and the Red Cross have all pulled out. The Children’s Society has pledged “All volunteering at The Children’s Society should be done by choice and under no obligation from any other agency.” Elsewhere we saw a housing association pull out of the Work Programme bringing it yet again a step closer to collapse.
And it doesn’t stop there. Yesterday, campaigners in Edinburgh let Iain Duncan Smith know what people think of his ‘welfare reforms’. Liverpool have already called a week of action in April. The charities and companies profiting from workfare still need to hear from you. When you win, you win for others so keep up the great work and lets keep winning!
http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2381#more-2381
You're the last person I'm going to take a lecture from on that, in all honesty.
The technicallity would be the regulations in question, which were squashed as illegal, and backed several key components of her arguments.
Such trivialities, things such as laws, aren't they?
Just noticed this. In case you noticed the subtlety, that was a boomerang attack. Use their very own arguments against them, and they have no defence. I don't think it plays into their own hands, they've stripped everyone else bare so until that can be rectified by whatever means then I'm happy to attack the parliament and MP's for the sham that they are.
Not a very fair comparison now, is it?
Yes, I'm not sure what the issue is if you've read anything I've said over the years about the public sector it certainly hasn't been negative.
You have to discredit them politcally. Parliamentary sovereignty - they are the law - we're all in it together you silly little boy.
ooops homebase found out for using 21 people at a time in one store on workfare. talk about making as much money as you can out of the system. watching their facebook page now and its got posts apearing and then being deleted shortly after, such fun. lol
I despair. It's one thing to protest against private companies benefitting from workfare projects, but WTF could possibly be wrong with sending few lazy gits to work for charities (while being paid from taxpayer pocket for the privilege).
Or are we all ignoring this gentleman's posts because of his crazy rants?
lazy for wanting to be paid min wage, got to love the new hobby of bashing anyone on benefits who want a fair days pay for a days work (waits for dolph to say they'r not worth the pay), im guessing its the old thing of people hurling abuse because they arnt in the position themselves and think its all made up.
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Easter for some. Workfare for others.
Posted: March 30th, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Name and shame | No Comments »
21 workfare workers in one Homebase store. (Photo: Sebastian Ballard)
Perhaps eager to claim a chocolate Easter egg bonus, Job Centre staff in Finsbury Park (London) this week congratulated each other for securing 21 workfare placements in a single Homebase store in Haringay. This is a store that is not advertising for workers: more evidence that workfare replaces paid work.
Last year the boss of Home Retail Group – who also own workfare exploiters Argos – was paid £1.1 million. You’d think they could afford a living wage for the people working in their stores.
Homebase have responded to the spontaneous public reaction calling for them to quit the scheme by deleting tens of comments on its Facebook Page, then disabling comments, then promising a statement on Tuesday, then taking the page down, then resurrecting the page free of any mention of workfare, then taking the page down again. It’s clear our actions are having an impact.
Let’s keep going until everyone working in their stores is paid!
Contact Homebase:
On Facebook (if they bring their page back again): facebook.com/homebase
On Twitter:
By email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]
By phone: 0845 077 8888 or 0845 601 6911
Or contact the company they are owned by: The Home Retail Group
http://www.boycottworkfare.org/
Posted: March 30th, 2013 | Author: editor | Filed under: Name and shame | No Comments »
21 workfare workers in one Homebase store. (Photo: Sebastian Ballard)
Perhaps eager to claim a chocolate Easter egg bonus, Job Centre staff in Finsbury Park (London) this week congratulated each other for securing 21 workfare placements in a single Homebase store in Haringay. This is a store that is not advertising for workers: more evidence that workfare replaces paid work.
Last year the boss of Home Retail Group – who also own workfare exploiters Argos – was paid £1.1 million. You’d think they could afford a living wage for the people working in their stores.
Homebase have responded to the spontaneous public reaction calling for them to quit the scheme by deleting tens of comments on its Facebook Page, then disabling comments, then promising a statement on Tuesday, then taking the page down, then resurrecting the page free of any mention of workfare, then taking the page down again. It’s clear our actions are having an impact.
Let’s keep going until everyone working in their stores is paid!
Contact Homebase:
On Facebook (if they bring their page back again): facebook.com/homebase
On Twitter:
By email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]
By phone: 0845 077 8888 or 0845 601 6911
Or contact the company they are owned by: The Home Retail Group
http://www.boycottworkfare.org/
Not to mention his crazy ranting that working for free is a privilege.
I can't believe this even has to be explained again. We've spent several pages discussing this before this thread was derailed by Self-entitled Anonymous as a platform for call to arms and bizarre admissions of criminal activities at local supermarkets.
Work schemes were created for long term unemployed, to break "the cycle". That was also the scenario in both court cases:
Cait Reilly was sent to work at Poundland as part of a Sector Based Work Academy scheme because she was unwilling to stop attending unpaid position in local museum while taxpayer sponsored her lifestyle and go to "real" work. She was made to work for up to six weeks and was guaranteed job interview at the end of it.
Jamieson Wilson was long term unemployed (five years I think) and was told that his allowance would be stopped after he refused to take part in the community action programme, working for 30 hours per week for six months.
In both cases, this was not "unpaid" work. They were to work for the benefit they were receiving. To "pay it back" to the taxpayer, if you will. In both cases the alternative open to both of them, was to just go to paid work anywhere else, if they didn't want to go and clean or work in Poundland.
The Court of Appeal upheld the ruling that the work placement system was unlawful as the people involved were not provided with sufficient information about it. The judges had however agreed requiring people to join the schemes was legal.
Both the High Court and The Court Of Appeal agreed that the Workfare programmes did not impinge Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In other words, you need to stop peddling myths of slavery and stop breaking bottles at random supermarkets. It's not slavery and forcing long term unemployed to work for extension to their work benefits is not unlawful.
Most of us might sympathize with a challenge against the Department for Work and Pensions "workfare" policy whereby the unemployed can be "forced" to work for private companies for their benefit payments. But I think you lose that sympathy very quickly when you proclaim charities, who only offer volunteer work, should be paying minimum wage to give workshy, pardon me, semi-permanently unemployed benefit claimants, a work experience.
If anything, your call to man barricades, damage goods in supermarkets and London riot the support for work schemes out of charities through their shop displays proves such schemes must continue. The entitlement upon which part of this nation treats tax payers money handouts as guaranteed sponsorship of their lifestyle led you to believe you can never be made to pay that money back. You can. The moment it becomes clear you have no intention of re-entering employment on your own, you might be forced to work to pay it back. And neither miss Reilly nor mr. Wilson were not doing it for free. They worked for the monies they continued to receive from government. And at all times maintained a choice to forfeit those payments and work for any wage they considered fairer elsewhere. Which miss Reilly eventually did. Thus proving, beyond any doubt, that the system worked.
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And what criminal activities would that be then? unless you mean accidental breakages has now become a criminal offence, very bizarre, pity the government didn't refrain from criminal activity with its illegal schemes.
gonna stop here, couldn't be bothered to read the rest of your rant.
gonna stop here, couldn't be bothered to read the rest of your rant.
von, im not bothered about the court case as its a way for both sides to hide the truth, but i am bothered about people thinking its ok for private companies who make hundreds of millions (and in teso's case billions) a year in profit to get FREE LABOR and the workers not get paid min wage which is supposed to be a legal right.
now as for breaking the cycle theres a few issues. 2.5 million looking for work, 500k jobs at most. so what do the other 2 million do now ?
as iv said a few times id happily work within my local community on projects to make it look better, for my jobseekers as long as i was working at min wage levels.
as for charities using people i have no issue with that BUT, its that min wage thing again. if your on jobseekers you get £71 a week, so you should be doing no more than 11.5 hours a week to match min wage. anything else technically is breaking the law.
thankfully il never end up on workfare due to my exp and issues with my legs/knee's but its funny how people get on their high horse saying everyone is lazy for not wanting to work for less than the legal min wage.
also many people who have been forced on to these schemes have paid in to the system so the excuse of paying back what they have taken out is rubbish especially when its providing free labor for the likes of tesco, homebas or asda. private companies who have nice profits to start with.
now as for breaking the cycle theres a few issues. 2.5 million looking for work, 500k jobs at most. so what do the other 2 million do now ?
as iv said a few times id happily work within my local community on projects to make it look better, for my jobseekers as long as i was working at min wage levels.
as for charities using people i have no issue with that BUT, its that min wage thing again. if your on jobseekers you get £71 a week, so you should be doing no more than 11.5 hours a week to match min wage. anything else technically is breaking the law.
thankfully il never end up on workfare due to my exp and issues with my legs/knee's but its funny how people get on their high horse saying everyone is lazy for not wanting to work for less than the legal min wage.
also many people who have been forced on to these schemes have paid in to the system so the excuse of paying back what they have taken out is rubbish especially when its providing free labor for the likes of tesco, homebas or asda. private companies who have nice profits to start with.
It stopped being a tale of "accidental" mishap the moment you added "I just hope I don't accidently go and do it in other workfare retail outlets. Butterfingers, accidents will happen" in your story. We all understood what you meant, and you also described your intent as "will happen", not "may", "could", "might", instead on purely Freudian level you used "will". Meaning emphatically you were determined or sure to do so.
The "not bothered to read the rest" clearly follows you for quite some time since there were no "criminal activities" or "illegal schemes" confirmed in regard to subject of this discussion by any court in the land. You show complete lack of understanding of the subject and developments surrounding issue you are trying so passionately to fight against.
I think most of us in this thread agreed that this was the one element, where government got it completely wrong. The moment the scheme benefited private companies, and was paid from taxes, without those companies paying anything back to the "pool" (and even paying less, since they wouldn't need taxable temp staff), the scheme lost general public support.
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But still you think they must continue?
I do, because in a long run, even looking at the example of the two people in media spotlight, there is a precedence proving it works. I don't want the scheme to benefit private companies, but I just have less sympathy for someone who managed to walk for five years without bumping across "help needed" advert even once, than I have for government pushing "tough" claimants into the arms of private employers. The idea is to break the cycle for long term unemployed. Preferably in such a way as to go and find even a minimum wage job instead of relying on benefits. And to be honest I can't think of a better place to make someone think "there must be better alternative out there" than position in Poundland. But on that level I would support it even if it was cleaning public parks of dog's excrements in orange jumpsuits.
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like many have said on here von, people would work within there community doing a couple of days of litter picking, gardening or other such tasks. as long as it doesnt cost someone else there job, also none of that orange jumpsuit business people out of work arnt criminals, a lot like myself have just been unlucky with their situation.
funny when people suggest this none of the mp's seem to be able to talk about it and just carry on regardless bashing the lazy ****less benefits scroungers.
funny when people suggest this none of the mp's seem to be able to talk about it and just carry on regardless bashing the lazy ****less benefits scroungers.
problem is community service work doesn't provide work experience and references in the one area where most of the long term unemployed end up ....retail.
only place that does that is well retail. and when you see the like of primark offering minimum wage jobs with the requirements "must have 2 years experience in retail" you can see why having an extra reference might be useful.