Age UK Training branded inadequate by Ofsted!

Last week, an ‘Age UK Training’ employee or former employee, spoke to one of our protesters about her work for Age UK, in Ashton-under-Lyne, while we were doing our weekly protest outside Ashton Jobcentre. It seems that she was particularly aggrieved by an email that staff had received from one of our team in respect of an Ofsted report branding Age UK 'inadequate'.

The Ofsted report that was published last month, criticised Age UK for being inadequate for effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning, assessment, outcome for learners, adult learning programmes, apprenticeships and traineeships. The report said:

"Trustees do not hold senior managers sufficiently to account for the deterioration of learners outcomes and the inadequate quality of provision" and "trainers failed to motivate and challenge learners."

The report was also damning about apprenticeship training: "Too many apprentices make slow progress and failed to achieve their qualifications. Learners' performance has significantly declined since the last inspection." It also points out that more than a quarter of all learners failed to attend classes and that "Staff do not develop learners' English and Mathematical skills effectively across all programs of study."

We understand that since publication of the report, all thirteen Age UK centres across the country are now scheduled to close with the loss of around 250 jobs. At the Ashton centre, located in the Stamford Place Building, around 20 people will lose their jobs.

Why successive governments have continued to spend billions of pounds of tax payers money on these fly-by-night, so-called private training providers, who seem to achieve very little in terms of getting people back to sustainable work, is nothing short of a national scandal. It is time that these outfits were put out of business and the work transferred to properly funded adult education colleges who employ suitably qualified and competent staff to provide value for taxpayers money, and suitable and adequate training to help people to get back into work.

Workfare taskmaster punched by angry Jobseeker in Ashton!

AS an old garrison town, Ashton-under-Lyne, has always had something of a reputation for being boisterous and rowdy. In Victorian times, the town had a reputation for being one of the most drunkenest towns in the North West. 

It therefore comes as no surprise to many of us, that we heard today during one of our regular weekly Ashton Jobcentre protest, that a downtrodden and miserable Jobseeker, had turned very nasty while on a placement with a so-called local training provider in Ashton-under-Lyne. We are reliably informed that this morning, a member of staff working for 'Avanta' in Ashton, was violently assaulted by a disgruntled inmate. 

We have been unable to establish why this incident occurred or whether the police were called. However, the CPS Jobcentre union, have reported that violent incidents directed against their own members have risen exponentially as benefit sanctions have increased and claimants have been put under greater pressure to meet targets.

One expects that violent incidents of this kind are likely to continue.

WORKFARE WEEK OF ACTION!

We are publishing below a recent briefing from Boycott Workfare.

"With an election looming it’s a vital opportunity to expose and challenge workfare and sanctions policies and the political lies that underpin them. 

Already your efforts have resulted in massive success: Dozens of organisations have withdrawn from the schemes following public pressure. Let’s take it even further on 25th April – 2nd May. Read more here.

Start getting ready for the week of action now:

• Reply to this email to order know your rights leaflets to give out at your local jobcentre or workfare provider
• Plan an action at a workfare exploiter near you!
• Order Keep Volunteering Voluntary leaflets to ask charities in your area to pledge to avoid workfare!
• Join the Facebook event and invite others to take part too!
• Remember to let us know what you plan so we can help to publicise it!

The week of action is a chance for everyone who opposes workfare and sanctions to demand an end to these cruel policies. Already this year, at least four organisations have withdrawn from workfare following public pressure. However you take part, it will count. 

During the week itself, check the Boycott Workfare website to take part in daily online actions too!

Then join us for the Welfare Action Gathering on 30th May!

It’s a fact, regardless of who wins the election - we will have to resist!  New policies such as the roll out of Universal Credit will see people in employment and on housing benefit sanctioned too. So, we would love to see you come and take part in our Welfare Action Gathering on 30th May at the London Welsh Centre. It will be a great chance to discuss how we can all continue to resist, and maybe even come up with creative new ways of doing so! "

Please let us know if you can take part in the week of action and gathering and help spread the word far and wide!

Boycott Workfare Action Week: 25 April - 2 May!

We are publishing below a recent briefing from Boycott Workfare:

As the general election campaign gets underway we are already seeing politicians calling for more of the same policies. More workfare. More sanctions. Yet we know that these policies have been a total disaster. It is shameful that workfare and sanctions are supported by all the main political parties. This is why we are holding a week of action in the week before the election. We need your help to expose and challenge workfare and sanctions policies and the political lies that underpin them.

Workfare undermines paid jobs and wages and results in sanctions. It does nothing to improve the chances of people finding a job and exploits those forced to carry it out. Last year over half a million people had their benefits sanctioned. The number of benefit sanctions imposed by the DWP now exceeds the number of fines imposed by the courts. People are being left with nothing for up to three years. There is now overwhelming evidenceof the harm being caused by sanctions. Sanctions are damaging the health of claimants and leading to hunger, homelessness and deaths.

Your actions have already had a huge impact in challenging these policies. Dozens of organisations have withdrawn from the schemes following public pressure. Over 500 voluntary sector organisations have now signed the Keep Volunteering Voluntary agreement to say they oppose workfare and sanctions and will not be involved. 25 councils have also said they will boycott the schemes. All this means it is getting harder and harder for the government’s private providers to find workfare placements. Hundreds of placements have been cancelled and your actions have made a real difference.

The week of action is a chance for everyone who opposes workfare and sanctions to demand an end to these cruel policies. However you can contribute join us to take action from 25 April – 2 May:

• Join in with online actions throughout the week!
• Ask charities you support to sign the Keep Volunteering Voluntary agreement!
• Speak out! Tell those promoting workfare and sanctions what you think of their policies!
• Hand out our know-your-rights leaflets at your local jobcentre!
• Plan actions at a workfare exploiter near you!

Remember to let us know what you plan so we can help to publicise it!

Join the Facebook event and invite others to take part too! "

5 ways we’re winning against workfare. And a few ways to get rid of it altogether.

We are publishing below the latest briefing from Boycott Workfare:

"With the week of action against workfare coming up on 4-12 October, we wanted to share some of the things your action and active support has already achieved. With so much impact already, the week of action is the next step where you can help put an end to workfare altogether.

We have helped each other to defend our rights

The job centre and workfare providers rely on misinformation, lies and bullying to push people around. That’s why finding out and claiming our rights is so important. We find out our rights, spread the word and have helped cancel workfare placements for many who have contacted us. The Welfare Action Gathering in February brought together tens of groups of people from around the country who take action against workfare and who support each other to get their rights on workfare, rights at the job centre and in navigating Atos’ tests.

Over 20,000 people support this campaign. The more people who know their rights the more people can say no to workfare – or help expose who is using workfare…

Our actions make workfare exploiters pull out

Workfare relies on placement providers – every time we get them to pull out is another step to ending workfare. Many big names including Argos, Holland & Barrett and PDSA have pulled out.

A highlight this year: George Osborne was publicly humiliated after a visit to promote his new 6-month brand of workfare (CWP) backfired when Byteback IT pulled out just a week later, following a backlash against workfare from the public.

The list goes on, and we’ve been keeping track of it here (where you’ll also find the crowd-sourced list of the organisations still exploiting people on workfare).

We have shrunk the number of workfare placements

We know that Workfare providers like A4E regularly complain how hard it is to find placements now that so many places are boycotting them. A DWP report into Mandatory Work Activity complained that it was unable to find placements for everyone because: “The high profile withdrawal of placements from a number of larger charities meant a sharp reduction in placements” (Dec 2012). There has since been a significant decrease in Mandatory Work Activity referrals: December 2013 had the lowest number since the summer of 2011. This is because together we are all…

Turning the tide: hundreds of charities won’t touch workfare…

Since the Keep Volunteering Voluntary campaign launched in April this year, 420 voluntary sector organisations have pledged to defend the values of volunteering and steer clear of workfare. Charities like Shelter, Oxfam and Crisis which tackle poverty in the UK were among the first to sign up, and have been joined by major charity umbrella bodies and tens of local organisations. In the week of action, why not contact the charities you support and ask them to sign up too?

… councils are also coming out against workfare…

Councils are beginning to take a stand against workfare too: 24 are now boycotting the schemes. Scarborough Council pulled out after we exposed them as one of the worst workfare using councils in the UK. You can ask your council to join them here. Little wonder that…

The DWP is scared the schemes will “collapse” when the public know who is exploiting workfare…

When the DWP tries to find yet another way not to reveal the list of the businesses and charities exploiting people on workfare schemes, we know we’ve got them running scared. They’ve said they’re worried the schemes will “collapse” when the public discovers which brands are exploiting people on the schemes. There’s good reason for it too: we are succeeding in pushing back workfare.

That’s why your action is so important…

Take part in the week of action on 4-12 October in whatever way you can:

• Take part in one of the actions already called in Edinburgh, Brighton, London, Amsterdam or Bristol or check out the list of workfare exploiters and plan your own action!
• Visit the boycottworkfare.org website Mon-Fri in the week of action and get involved in mass online actions!
• Help spread the word: Invite your friends to the Facebook event.

Work without pay is a threat to everyone. Whether you’re in paid work or not, you need to know that these schemes replace paid work, undermine the welfare state, and undermine wages and working conditions for everyone. Workfare is enforced with sanctions. If we don’t stop it now, the government has part-time and low paid workers in its sights for workfare and sanctions – that could be you. So support us to support you. Say no to workfare, join the rebellion and take part in the week of action!"

Welfare Action Gathering - Saturday 15th February!

Come to an info and skill-sharing day in London on 15 February, 10.45am-5.30pm, Maiden Lane Community Centre near Kings Cross. Directions here.

Getting your welfare rights is about a lot more than just knowing your welfare rights. Across the UK, people are getting together to support each other and pushing back workfare, standing up to sanctions, wrong decisions, and insecure housing.

Meet others from across the UK, hear inspiring stories, learn info about our rights and share tactics that work. This isn’t a day for speakers from the front. Party political representatives aren’t invited. It’s about people at the grassroots getting together and working out how we can support each other and throw even more spanners in the government’s plans!

If you are in a local group where people share mutual support on welfare or housing (or plan to start one), Boycott Workfare should be able to help with your travel costs. Please get in touch as soon as you can so we can sort it out.

Planning on coming? There’ll be tea, coffee and a free lunch! Please let us know you’re coming so we know how many people to cook for!

Want to know what to expect? Check out the agenda here. There’s an open space session in the afternoon if you’d like to offer a workshop too!

Scarborough Council pulls out of 'workfare' slave labour scheme!

We are publishing below the latest briefing from 'Boycott Workfare'.

Less than two weeks into 2014 and we’re already having an impact! Scarborough Council, one of the worst workfare-using councils in the UK, has cancelled its involvement. Volunteer centre Knowsley CVS has taken the principled stand to have nothing to do with workfare schemes. On Friday, the DWP’s social media strategists were forced to abandon use of their hashtag #takeoverday to promote ‘work experience’ when people literally took it over to campaign against sanctions and workfare!

Over Christmas, The Mirror and The Guardian published our research into UK councils using workfare. Scandalously, councils have benefited from at least half a million hours of workfare labour since 2011. We highlighted some particularly shocking examples, including Scarborough Borough Council, which had taken 120 Mandatory Work Activity placements in its Parks Department.

Apparently the Council didn’t appreciate the national publicity, and following its first meeting in the new year, the scheme appears to have been cancelled practically overnight [Warning: link contains embarrassing self-congratulation by members of the same political party which introduced workfare to the UK]. Cuts to the Parks Department were proposed in 2012. This success should mean jobs are now a little more secure.

This success is important: from April, the government intends to extend the average workfare stint to six months with its ‘Community Work Placement’ scheme. People who refuse to take part face destitution through benefit sanctions, but councils and charities can say no and make the scheme impossible. In recent weeks, Liverpool Volunteer Service and Knowsley CVS also followed the example of charities like Oxfam in refusing to be part of this sanctions machine.

Scarborough’s not the only council to be persuaded to pull out. Trade unionists in Brighton sabotaged the local council’s plans to sign a deal for free labour with Work Programme provider Avanta. This time last year, Newcastle City Council passed a motion saying it would have nothing to do with it (see bottom of this blog for the text). Norwich Council have also committed not to take part (see motion 9, page 2 here). Meanwhile, efforts by local people in Haringey ended the use of workfare on the borough’s council estates. Elsewhere in the public sector, we heard that trade unionists blocked workfare in the Home Office – something that looks necessary at the DWP, now that job centres are even mandating people to do workfare in job centres.

We know that when organisations pull out of workfare, it threatens workfare’s existence. Please do everything you can to make sure your council and local charities don’t take part. You can find out if your council replied to our research and what it said by downloading the spreadsheet here. If there’s nothing for your council, you could try your own Freedom of Information request as there’s now plenty of precedents that this is information they should share!

Also this week:

• Take part in the Brighton picket of workfare user Grosvenor Casinos this Tuesday.
• Book your travel to the skills and info-sharing day on 15 February (or let us know if you need help with travel costs).
• 
  

Supreme Court dismisses the Government’s Appeal on the “Back to Work” Regulations!

We are publishing a recent press release issued by Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) concerning the recent decision by the supreme court to dismiss the Government's appeal on the 'Back-to-Work' Regulations.

Today in a landmark decision the Supreme Court has dismissed the Government’s appeal against the Court of Appeal’s unanimous findings in February that the Regulations[1] under which most of the Government’s “Back to Work” schemes were created were unlawful and should be quashed. The original case was brought by our clients Cait Reilly, who was made to stack shelves in Poundland for two weeks[2], and Jamie Wilson, who was stripped of his Jobseeker’s allowance for 6 months after refusing to participate in a scheme[3] which required him to work 30 hours a week for six months for free. In an important judgment the Supreme Court held that: The Court of Appeal had been right to quash the Regulations on the basis that the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith, has acted beyond the powers given to him by Parliament by failing to provide, any detail about the various “Back to Work” schemes in the Regulations. (paras On the facts of Jamie Wilson’s case he had, in any event, been provided with invalid notice under the Regulations as the DWP failed to specify the details of what he was required to do by way of participation in the Back to Work Scheme. In line with standard notices issued at that time he was merely informed that he had to do perform “any activities” requested of him by the private provider, Ingeus. (paras 43-52) In relation to a cross-appeal brought by the Claimants, the Court found that: Although the Government does not have a duty to publish a policy about each of its Back to Work schemes, it is under a duty as a matter of fairness to provide jobseekers with enough information about the relevant scheme so that they can make informed and meaningful representations as to whether a scheme is appropriate before a decision is made. This information must, of course, be provided before any notice requiring a jobseeker to participate on a particular scheme is served. Any failure to provide adequate information is likely to invalidate any notice given making it unlawful for the DWP to require a person to participate on a scheme and impose benefits sanction if they do not participate. As a result of this finding we will be seeking the full repayment of benefits unlawfully stripped from our client Jamie Wilson. (paras 58 – 75) That the imposition of the work condition in this case does not fall within the ambit of Article 4 of the ECHR which protects the right of individuals to be free from forced labour. (paras 76-90) The judgment of the Supreme Court has been complicated because in March 2013 the Government rushed emergency legislation - The Jobseekers (Back to Work Act) 2013 - through parliament. This Act retrospectively amended the law and effectively overturned the Court of Appeal’s judgment. The Supreme Court was moved to comment in its judgment that this placed the Government in the “rather unattractive” position of “taking up court time and public money to establish that a regulation is valid, when it has already taken up Parliamentary time to enact legislation which retrospectively validates the Regulation” (para 40). Public Interest Lawyers have already issued judicial review proceedings challenging the legality of the retrospective legislation which we will now seek to expedite.[4] Notwithstanding the above, the findings of the Supreme Court on the Claimants’ cross appeal were not academic. The requirement on the DWP to provide jobseekers with adequate information about the schemes has far reaching implications as all jobseekers who, like Jamie, were not provided with adequate information will able to seek the repayment of their benefits. We will also be considering carefully whether we will appeal the Court’s finding on Article 4 ECHR to the European Court of Human Rights.  Following the judgment, Cait Reilly stated: “I am really pleased with today’s judgment which I hope will serve to improve the current system and assist jobseekers who have been unfairly stripped of their benefits. I brought these proceedings because I knew that there was something wrong when I was stopped from doing voluntary work in a local museum and instead forced to work for Poundland for free. I have been fortunate enough to find work in a Supermarket but I know how difficult it can be. It must be time for the Government to rethink its strategy and actually do something constructive to help lift people out of unemployment and poverty.”  Phil Shiner, head of Public Interest Lawyers said: “Once again the Department for Work and Pension’s flagship Back to Work schemes have been found wanting. Today’s ruling from the Supreme Court is of huge constitutional and practical significance. My firm will now get on with challenging, by judicial review, the retrospective legislation which was shamefully rushed through Parliament by Iain Duncan Smith in March of this year.”

Workfare Week of Action Against State Sponsored Slavery, 6th - 14th July!

The following briefing which we are publishing in full, has been received from the campaign 'Boycott Workfare'.


"When the Work Programme was launched two years ago, the government wanted everyone finishing it to be sent to do six months of forced unpaid work. But all mention of this punitive scheme has now disappeared: a powerful testament to the strength of your actions.

People are pushing back the spread of workfare: One provider has complained that it has 100 fewer placements each week in its area alone. In recent weeks, Argos and Homebase claim to have pulled out of workfare, Wetherspoons has followed them and Debenhams are wobbling. The government has been ordered to reveal the list of workfare exploiters but keeps appealing: it is terrified that the public response will spell the end for workfare.

Now is the time to keep pushing.

On 6-14 July, the week that the poverty profiteers of the workfare industry will be gathering for their annual convention, let’s remind them there’s a lot to be worried about!

Call an action in your town or city: A walking tour of shame, surprise visits to your least favourite workfare exploiters, flash mobs, a chain gang… whatever sounds fun to you!

Order copies of our know your rights leaflet and get them to the people who need them!

Take part in daily online actions targeting those who profit from workfare.

Whatever you plan, tell us and we’ll help spread the word. Boycott Workfare can help with the costs of props, printing or travel, so tell us if that would be useful too! info[at]boycottworkfare[dot]org


Let the workfare profiteers know: If you exploit us, we will shut you down!

Government told to reveal names of workfare exploiters!

The following report which we are publishing in full, has been taken from the website 'Boycott Workfare'.

"Some great news: The government has lost its appeal and must reveal the organisations that have used Mandatory Work Activity, Work Experience, and Work Programme placements. That means we’re going to be able to show those organisations what we think of them profiting from free labour!

The evidence the government submitted reveals what a huge impact your actions have had. They argued:

“The activities of campaign groups and the results of negative publicity meant that… “a great many placement organisations” had ceased to offer placements. That in turn reduced the numbers of opportunities available across both programmes with a loss of many placements and prospective new placements being at risk.” (Point 109)

This adds to the evidence that emerged earlier in the week that numbers of people on “Government employment schemes” (read ‘workfare’) have dropped by 16,000 this quarter. We also heard that Seetec were complaining at an industry conference last week how difficult it is to find placements nowadays because employers are worried about protest. The DWP’s appeal revealed that one subcontractor has complained about a loss of 100 placements per week in its area alone (point 93).

That is your actions – whether building pressure online, spreading the word, withholding donations, boycotting shops, joining a picket or staging an occupation – helping push back forced unpaid work in the UK.

The government feared that “Put simply, disclosure [of names] would have been likely to have led to the collapse of the MWA [Mandatory Work Activity] scheme”. Let’s do our best to make sure it does! Keep your eyes peeled for the release of the names and get ready to step up the pressure on those profiting from forced labour.

Special congratulations go to Frank Zola for pursuing this to the Information Tribunal. The full decision can be enjoyed here. (Of particular note are points 28, 29, 67, 70-75, 93, 94, 96, 99, 100, 103, 109, 127, 133, 176, 196)

Since the Salvation Army gets a special mention from the DWP for ‘holding the line’ (point 196), you may like to take this opportunity to remind them why this position is just so inconsistent with their Christian values. The Salvation Army UK can be contacted on facebook, by phone (020 7367 4500), by email (info@salvationarmy.org.uk). More background on their involvement and contact details can be found here, or you can tweet at them:"

Yesterday the Guardian reported that the Department for Work and Pensions, were considering an appeal to the high court or deploying a ministerial veto to ban publication. This is not surprising given the government's track record.

When the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 2011, were quashed by three Appeal Court judges in February, for being unlawful, the government simply changed the regulations and applied them retrospectively, so that people who had been unlawfully sanctioned, could not claim the money back. Ali Baba and his forty thieves, have got nothing on these bastards.

Staff had wages and hours cut due to firm using free dole labour!

The following briefing was recently sent to NV blog from the campaign group 'Boycott Workfare'.

"Two weeks ago, it emerged that Homebase was taking on tens of workfare placements in their Haringey store: 750 hours of unpaid work in just one week in just one of Homebase’s 342 shops.

A week later, a Homebase poster was leaked: it showed managers boasting about how they have been able to cut the wages bill with workfare.http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/workfare-why-did-so-many-labour-mps-accept-this-brutal-unforgivable-attack-on-vulnerable-people-8542193.html Then a staff member told us what it had meant for staff: overtime cut for everyone and some people’s hours reduced cut from 48 down to 8.

People’s response has been immense, with loads of online pressure, people pledging to shop elsewhere, and pop-up demos outside their shops. It’s obviously having an impact.

On Easter weekend, Homebase took their Facebook Page down at least three times because of the scale of response from the public. Since then they have deleted literally hundreds of comments.

Yesterday, Homebase posted a new statement, saying “While we review our local arrangements, we have decided to make no further commitment to the Job Centre work experience programme.” But that still leaves tens of workfare placements in their Haringey store and possibly elsewhere too.

Step up the pressure for every single person working in Homebase to be paid.

A week of action has been called against Homebase, culminating in protests, leafleting and pickets at their stores this weekend. Why not print some leaflets and visit a store near you? We’ll post a template flyer here very soon, and let us know if you need help covering printing costs!

So far actions have been called in: London on Saturday, London on Sunday, Bristol.

Let us know what you plan and we’ll add it to the list!

Online:

On Facebook (if they bring their page back again): facebook.com/homebase

On Twitter:

By email: order.enquiries@homebase.co.uk or info@homebase.co.uk orenquiries@homebase.co.uk

By phone: 0845 077 8888 or 0845 601 6911

Or contact the company they are owned by: The Home Retail Group.

A clever project has been set up for people to write or send parcels to workfare users’ Freepost addresses. More info here.

…and if you’re in Liverpool, there’s a whole week of workfare fun planned next week.

Homebase has boasted about workfare reducing paid work. We can’t let them get away with it. After all, “If you exploit us, we will shut you down.”

IDS takes action to stop claimants reclaiming dole money who were illegally sanctioned!

The following report was sent to NV by 'Boycott Workfare'.

Last week Iain Duncan Smith laid legislation to rewrite history to stop the 225,000 people who were sanctioned on his unlawful workfare schemes being able to reclaim what they are due.

To make matters worse, the bill is being rushed through parliament; the second reading; committee stage; and third reading are all scheduled for one day: this Tuesday.

As if this wasn't outrageous enough, Labour have indicated that they will support the Bill.

Tell your MP to vote against these outrageous attempts to rewrite history and rob people of £130 million in benefit repayments with this one minute online form: http://action.pcs.org.uk/page/speakout/ask-your-mp-to-stop-the-government-changing-the-law-on-workfare

The government are getting desperate. This latest move to rush through legislation smacks of desperation and it's little surprise. In the last month, your action means eight more organisations will no longer take part in workfare: Sense, PDSA, Shoe Zone, Wilkinson's, 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.”

It seems that the DWP is upset that organisations keep pulling out of its forced work schemes. So upset that it has decided to lie to the Guardian about the campaign against workfare:http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2150

Now is the time to keep pushing. Workfare is being pushed back as exploiter after exploiter pull out, but there are still many organisations profiting from forced unpaid work.

Salvation Army and YMCA are stridently defending their involvement. Other charities including RSPCA, The Conservation Volunteers, British Heart Foundation and Papworth Trust have yet to catch up on the sector's newly found ethical consensus.

Debenhams, Argos, Poundland, Asda, Superdrug and others are still profiting from unpaid workfare in their stores.

There's loads of actions coming up this week, and there's still time to plan more! Read more here: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1996

With even one or two people, you can organise an effective action. Check out these for inspiration:

Investigating workfare on your high street: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1017

'You've been served' notices: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2197

Plus check back daily to our website to support the Week of Action online.

Together, we are having a massive impact! Let's make the week of action count.

Boycott Workfare

'ANOTHER BLOW TO WORKFARE'!

The following report has been sent to NV by Boycott Workfare.

Last week saw workfare suffer another massive blow. The High Court ruled that nearly every back-to-work every scheme introduced under this government was unlawful and quashed them.

Whilst the judgment did not affect Mandatory Work Activity (MWA), the government was dealt a further blow by campaigners when two more charities- Sense and the Children's Society - said they will join the boycott of the scheme. High Street retailer Wilkinson's has also confirmed it will nolonger take part in workfare. http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2009

150,000 PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECLAIM THEIR BENEFITS:

The implication of the High Court ruling is that all sanctions on the unlawful schemes should be immediately stopped, and that all sanctions on these schemes were unlawful. In effect this means the government could be forced to repay all the money it illegally withheld from those on JSA. Needless to say, the DWP are refusing to pay until they have tried to appeal this judgement, but they are not expected to be successful. It also has to issue new letters to those currently on workfare schemes informing them of these facts.

Oddly two workfare schemes 'CAP and WorkExperience' appear to be missing from the latest regulations. Which could actually mean the government has abandoned them. Find out more about what this means here: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2035

NEW REGULATIONS TO TRY TO MAKE WORKFARE LEGAL:

Iain Duncan Smith rushed through new regulations last Wednesday to try and make workfare legal. Until you get a new letter about the scheme you are on (apart from MWA), then you should not be obliged to take part. Sadly the letters are starting to arrive on people's doorsteps. But its not over yet. Workfare is wobbling and now is the time to keep pushing. You can help with a warm up by pressing your MP to sign a motionwhich could see workfare put to a vote. Yeah, we know, we have little faith in politicians either, but this is a key time to make your MP show their allegiances. Please also email us your MP's response for our future reference. http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2045

NEXT MONTH TAKE PART IN THE WEEK OF ACTION:

Without places to send people to do workfare, the schemes must collapse.To this end join us for our upcoming week of action: look out forcall-outs for online action and plan an action in your area:http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1996

Work-for-your-dole schemes declared illegal by Appeal Court!

Campaigners celebrated a significant victory against workfare outside the High Court today.

Today, the Court of Appeal quashed the government’s workfare schemes, which have seen tens of thousands of people put to work without pay and many more put at risk of destitution through sanctions.

Of the numerous workfare schemes introduced by this government, only Mandatory Work Activity remains lawful. With immediate effect, those on the controversial Work Programme, Sector Based Work Academies, Community Action Programme or other workfare schemes may leave without risk of sanction. Sanctions currently in place must immediately be brought to an end.

The government has however threatened to swiftly lay new regulations which may make the schemes mandatory and subject to sanctions. The impact of the ruling remains substantial, since unless the DWP wins the right to appeal in the Supreme Court and succeeds in that appeal, everyone who has been sanctioned on the schemes to date should be entitled to be paid back and all referrals to date will have been unlawful.

The viability of the remaining ‘lawful’ workfare scheme, MWA, is under question due to campaigners’ success in persuading charities and companies to withdraw. A DWP evaluation of Mandatory Work Activity in December 2012 noted that “The high profile withdrawal of placements from a number of larger charities meant a sharp reduction in placements.”

Joanna Long, a member of Boycott Workfare, has said:

“Today’s ruling is a victory of the people against a government which thought it could compel unemployed and sick people to work without pay, backed by a vicious regime of sanctions which made the poorest far poorer.

“We are confident the end is in sight for workfare in the UK. The only scheme found lawful is wobbling due to public pressure on the charities profiting from free labour. If Iain Duncan Smith attempts to put in place new workfare regulations, he should know that the public response will be outrage. Tens of businesses and charities are already boycotting his schemes, and today’s ruling shows that workfare is not only wrong, it is also unlawful.”

Boycott Workfare’s UK-wide week of action on 18th-24th March will go ahead with the aim of bringing Mandatory Work Activity to an end and ensuring the government don’t bring workfare back. The campaign will do all it can to ensure all those who have been sanctioned on the schemes are repaid, so watch this space.

See the full text of the ruling here.