Poundland Workfare Picket

Saturday 28 January,  meet 12 noon at Norfolk Square

Join us in saying NO to Workfare!

As most people tighten their belts, Poundland announced another year of record profits, raking in £31.7m – a whopping increase of 34% – in 2010/11, and boasting of their ability to compete in ‘turbulent economic conditions’.

The shameless scroungers who run Poundland already rely on the state to top up miserable wages with tax credits and housing benefit, rather than doing it themselves from their ever-increasing profits.  Now they have leapt to gobble up another handout, in the form of free labour from the government’s workfare programmes.

Workfare does not lead to employment.  In fact it does the very opposite.  It is an assault on jobs, wages and conditions, and it affects ALL working people.

Brighton Benefits Campaign calls on Poundland to stop their reprehensible exploitation of the unemployed and the poor.  We will continue to campaign against Poundland until they abandon the use of workfare and instead employ people to do the work they need on a proper wage.

WORKFARE IS AN ATTACK ON US ALL!

At a time when, we are told, ‘the country is bankrupt’, the government has found a way to give a massive handout to companies making millions in profits. This is workfare – forcing the unemployed to work for their benefits.

The government tries to divide us by pitting those in work against ‘scroungers’ who supposedly need to be forced into work.  But workfare is as much an attack on those with jobs as those without them.  What boss would want to employ a worker they have to pay, when the government will give them someone off the dole to do it for free?

The aim of workfare is simply to drive down wages.

 

the cycle of workfare

What can we do?

If you learn that a workplace near you is using workfare, let us know.  Brighton Benefits Campaign is campaigning against all forms of workfare and all those who profit from it.  We will be focussing on both the companies profiting from dole slavery, & the private providers of the work programme who are raking in millions in public money.

Write!  Challenge workplaces to reveal whether they are using workfare.  If they are, demand that they stop.  If they’re not, challenge them to publicly pledge not to use workfare.

Demonstrate!  No employer likes the pressure and negative publicity brought by a protest against them.  BBC will be organising regular protests against those using workfare.  Join us, or organise your own demonstration and we will support you.

Organise!  Only independent organisation can give workers the strength to keep workfare out of their workplaces.  If there is a union in your workplace, raise the threat of workfare at a branch meeting and invite your branch to join the campaign.  If there’s no union at your workplace, talk to your colleagues and start to build one.  For support in organising, contact Brighton Trades Council at brightontradescouncil@gmail.com

Know your rights!  If you’re unemployed, there are a number of workfare schemes, which have different rules and some of which you may not have to comply with. There are details about your rights at  http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=280.

For further advice and support, contact the Brighton & Hove Unemployed Workers Centre on 540797.

BBC Workfare leaflet