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Avoid forced unpaid labour

boycott workfare | 20.01.2012 17:13 | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles | Birmingham

The following advice for anyone on JSA is from the Boycott Workfare website  http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=280

1. Don’t volunteer for “Work experience”!
Once you volunteer for job centre ‘work experience’ it becomes mandatory. Then if you stop doing this work experience, your benefits can be stopped.

Make sure this doesn’t happen to you:

* Do not agree to volunteer for the job centre’s “work experience”: It quickly becomes forced unpaid labour.
* If you want to do work experience, find something that is really voluntary.
* If you are sent on the scheme, you must turn up on the first day- but you do not face sanctions if you leave within during the first week (unless this is due to misconduct).

2. Avoid Mandatory Work Activity!
We have seen people referred for ‘Mandatory Work Activity’ simply because they have challenged their advisor. But there are strict guidelines for who can be referred. You can use the job centre internal guidance below to challenge referral! You do not have to go on this scheme if:

* you are currently working (paid or voluntary)
* you are undertaking employment related study / training
* you are taking part in or recently completed another “employment measure”
* the reason given is you have a lack of recent work experience
* you are being referred because your advisor thinks you haven’t been meeting your jobseeker’s agreement.

3. Also, watch out for the “Work Programme”
Multi-million pound companies like A4E and Reed profit from making our lives miserable on the Work Programme. They have been given freedom to make anything they want mandatory, and this can include workfare.

We are working on ways to challenge this. Workfare is wrong, and it’s up to all of us stop it. Remember, you are not alone. That’s why Boycott Workfare was formed by people like you. So help yourself and get involved!

To see this information in the DWP’s own words, click here  http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mandatory_work_activity_and_mand and here  http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/94388/response/237451/attach/html/2/FoI%203725%2020.12.11.pdf.html

boycott workfare
- Homepage: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=280

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

comment

20.01.2012 20:09

How else is tesco going to get it's customers served. If they have to pay people it's only going to put up the price of our groceries:)

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/nov/16/young-jobseekers-work-pay-unemployment

Still it's not new. twenty something years ago I was an apprentice. My gaffer came to me one day and said:
we have to pay you to work for us(in't life a bitch! I thinks;) And we have to try to earn your wages from our customers. But if you sign up for this YTS scheme thing, the government will pay your wages and they will pay us to allow you to work for us as well (some kind of tax break or something).
So I asked what's in it for me?
Well we'll reduce your hours in line with government working time directives and give you a bit of cash in hand to make your hours back up!
Splendid we are all winners thanks to the great british taxpayer!

happy shopper


ECHR Article 4

20.01.2012 20:33

Article 4 – Prohibition of slavery and forced labour
1. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude.
2. No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour.
3. For the purpose of this article the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include:

a. any work required to be done in the ordinary course of detention imposed according to the provisions of Article 5 of this Convention or during conditional release from such detention;

b. any service of a military character or, in case of conscientious objectors in countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory military service;

c. any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the community;

d. any work or service which forms part of normal civic obligations.

ARTICLE 4


State that you are doing voluntary work at one of the many occupy camps!

21.01.2012 09:21

You can always state that you are doing part time voluntary work at one of the many occupy camps around the country. Also put down on your CV work you are doing at the occupy camps if you are involved in them. If you are going to be forced to do unpaid work then make sure that it is worthwhile unpaid work and I can't think of anything more worthwhile than the current occupy movement.

Occupy London volunteer


resistance

21.01.2012 12:06

how about burning the job centres down and attacking the management ?

dracco


Yes workfare is bad but...

23.01.2012 12:53

How many Job Seekers are actually going to refuse to take up placements if they risk losing their benefits? Principle aint much help if you are starving!

Dan Factor


manna from heaven

23.01.2012 15:10

pssst ok listen up, for those with no choice but to go on these schemes all is not lost. Adopt 'prison' mentality and keeps your eyes open. Every system has it's weaknesses and flaws - which can be turned to yours and the fellows detainees advantage. Study the system, keep a low profile and strike quickly. In action, watch the timing. It's good for moral and gives a sense of hope. Serve the time but remember to take your time (and whatever the good lord provideth). Good luck.

sid


re: ECHR Article 4

24.01.2012 11:55

Good on people trying to avoid being sent on pointless and demoralising work experience for shitty companies.

But I don't think you can call it forced labour in the sense of the ECHR. You don't HAVE to do it - you can always sign off and try to scrape by. Of course that isn't really a realistic choice for most people, but still...

You are getting a freebie though, so you have to expect to jump through some hoops. If you're clever you should be able to work round it.

anon