It’s been a hard week for the private sector. Workfare in disarray and arrests at A4E due to fraud allegations. One word: Schadenfreude! The “something for nothing” culture where private contractors make profits off the backs of the unemployed. Nothing about public need always private greed. Contractors “park and cream”… park the people they can’t get jobs for but cream off the profits from people who they can get jobs for. It’s all about profit. It’s all about the money. It’s all about financial incentives. Unlike the state, there’s hardly about transparency or accountability. So anyone surprised that there are now allegations of fraud?! There has been murmurs for some time about fraud in these companies now PC Plod is knocking at the door. Public money being chucked at worthless money grabbing private sector companies.
And now …. the icing on the cake is the disarray over workfare. With public angry and shock over unpaid labour has put these companies under the spotlight and scrutiny. It would be great with all these corporations turning away from the “work experience” schemes eventually leading to a domino effect which will end with workfare crashing down around the ConDems. Ha! Ha! Bloody…haha!
Apparently, Grayling thinks that people opposed to workfare are “job snobs” and “modern-day Luddites” or, even better, protesters outside Tesco last week are, “anti-capitalist extremists”…
Talking of Tesco, they aren’t walking away from workfare completely instead: “Tesco have said that they are continuing to be a part of the government’s work experience scheme. What they have also said is that there will be delivering an additional offer to young people that will help more people find permanent employment. That has to be a good thing.”
Hilarious!
It’s not about opposing progress or being a snob, it’s about paying workers a salary NOT their dole…. “Something for nothing” greedy retailers who make even more profits from not paying the staff. Workfare creates a hierarchy. Some workers paid a wage while others are paid their dole to “gain experience”. Whichever way you slice it, it’s still work and therefore a wage earned. Yes, I am sure doing this will gain you work experience but surely this means receiving a wage as well? Also, surely, it will increase self-esteem and self-worth as opposed to “working” for a pittance of a dole worrying as well whether you will be sanctioned if you stop?
Workfare, without opposition, will lead to attacks on all paid jobs as the logic is, why employ someone on a wage when you can get it for free? This has an impact on all of us and trade unions should be leading the campaign against this form of slave labour.
Come to the meeting organised Labour Representation Meeting (LRC) on “Welfare not Workfare”
Tuesday 6th March 2012
7:00pm to 9:00pm
LRC organised meeting in conjunction with DPAC and Boycott Workfare
Committee Room 8, House of Commons, Westminster, London
Speakers include: John McDonnell MP, John McInally (PCS Vice-President), plus speakers from DPAC, Boycott Workfare
Chair: Louise Whittle (aka harpymarx)
See as well: Superdrug now says no. Why can’t Tesco’s?
I agree with the article. The Luddites where actually a group that objected to increasing mechanisation and subsequent loss of jobs! The movement started in a stocking factory in Nottinghamshire, if I recall correctly,. Don’t really see how objection to workfare is related at all, since no one has smashed up any machines. This guy (Grayling) is clearly an uneducated moron.But I guess that the growth of trade unionism would not really be a relevant area of study for the ConDems
http://www.enotes.com/luddism-nineteenth-century-literature-criticism/luddism-nineteenth-century-literature
The Luddites objected to the loss of jobs due to technological advancement. In fact that advancement came about, in part, due to the worldwide demand for woollen trade blankets which the traditional process could not keep pace with. That hugely increased demand had the effect of creating more jobs operating the machines than those being lost, hence the Luddites were satisfied. This in no way compare to the government’s corrupt #slavetrade feeding the greed machine at the expense of exploiting the economically vulnerable….Great article keep up the good work, as we all are doing
Incidentally the introduction and continued development of the mechanised weaving loom led to the Jacquard loom which succeeded in weaving complex patterns by use of a punch card binary system. Such looms were the direct predecessors of the computer, which combined with the internet allow us all to communicate and freely access information.
A situation which the government despair of as united we have the power to challenge the injustice of such corrupt schemes as Mandadory Work Activity. If the government had their way they would gladly smash our technology.
I guess the glib comments indicate clearly that Grayling talks through his…erm…hat! I have no idea what his view of Luddism entailed and don’t frankly care, but it clearly isn’t a relevant or applicable term to use in this case. Clutching at straws…
A good step forward and it was great to see your posts and photos of the weekend protests Louise.
We’ve been arguing that the campaign has to be widened to all the workfare programmes – Mandatory Work Activity and the Community Action Programme.
And they should investigate not just A4E but other providers.
Ipswich Unemployed Action: http://intensiveactivity.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/work-programme-in-disarray-up-the-ante/
Good demo but a serious question: why do the Right to Work placards carry a Keynesian slogan instead of a socialist one?
Not the real jobs now one, that’s OK, but the create jobs now one.
No idea David.