Skip to content or view screen version

Whatever happened to the unemployed organising themselves?

one in a million | 03.08.2014 23:50 | Workfare | Education | Free Spaces | Workers' Movements | Liverpool | World

Whatever happened to self- organisation within the unemployed sections of our class? Surely they must have some hours left in the week after being forced on courses, or in to doing voluntary work for nothing.

If you are unemployed and claiming benefits in this day and age you will know just how degrading it is made for you to attend the job centre, or whatever they are called this year. Private security guards to watch over you while you wait for ignorant twats to call you up to sign on 20, 30 minutes or even hours after you were due to see them. Of course if you turned up that late you would have all your benefits removed, and be given a shitty piece of paper with the name of a food bank on it.

We are forced on to courses and schemes, and made to fit the targets of so called advisors, or coaches, without even knowing what exactly our rights are now. There has been a deliberate move to demonise the unemployed even though unemployment is a cause of capitalism. There was no such thing as unemployment before capitalism was forced upon us, and I doubt there will be such a thing when capitalism has finally destroyed itself.

Meanwhile, and unfortunately for us, we have to cope with this stupid economic system, and find a way to organise ourselves to ensure we look after ourselves any way we can now.

Any ideas for some kind of unemployed union? Maybe something that can be shared informally when we are sent on courses etc, and talked about over a ciggy or lunch break...

one in a million

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

Thoughts and links

06.08.2014 17:25

Forget the filth trolling us. I did a little search on Indymedia and here are some articles and links about unemployed people like us trying to organise.

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/10/439588.html – UWU – unemployed workers union

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/09/437912.html – more UWU

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2014/04/516215.html – JSA more recent

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2014/03/515797.html – Stop workfare protests earlier this year


I am sure there's a lot more I have missed. If you can help in pointing us towards something helpful please do :-)

one in a million


Help and some sound advice here...

11.08.2014 17:09

Let's start with some lovely people who want you to have the information you need to make informed decisions while claiming benefits.

 http://www.boycottworkfare.org/ - Boycott Workfare is a UK-wide campaign to end forced unpaid work for people who receive welfare. Workfare profits the rich by providing free labour, whilst threatening the poor by taking away welfare rights if people refuse to work without a living wage. We are a grassroots campaign, formed in 2010 by people with experience of workfare and those concerned about its impact. We expose and take action against companies and organisations profiting from workfare; encourage organisations to pledge to boycott it; and actively inform people of their rights.


 http://refuted.org.uk/ - Extensive Tips on JSA and ESA sanction appeals and claiming Hardship Payments. Your chances of winning an appeal are better than 50-50


 http://www.boycottworkfare.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/how-to-avoid-workfare-leaflet-feb-2014.pdf – Download and share a leaflet explaining how to avoid the governments workfare schemes.


Two in a million