“Ministers drop benefit sanctions threat from work experience scheme”…

News flash….

All benefit sanctions on the government’s work experience scheme are to be dropped by the Department for Work and Pensions following meetings between ministers and employers.

The news was conveyed by Anne Marie Carrie, the chief executive of Barnardo’s and one of the employers present at the 90-minute meeting between the employment minister, Chris Grayling, and more than 50 firms involved in the scheme.

They had met to seek reassurances that the government was not seeking to force young unemployed people into work experience schemes.

The government says the scheme is voluntary and gives someone eight weeks’ work experience. But participants can lose two weeks’ jobseeker’s allowance if they leave for no reason after more than a week on the scheme.

There have also been suggestions that some jobcentre staff do not make clear that participation on the scheme is voluntary.

The removal of the sanction after one week was a key demand of employers, some of whom said they would withdraw from the scheme unless reforms were made.

Grayling claimed the attacks on the scheme, by what the government has described as the “Trotskyist right to work” campaign, had led to an increase in employer interest in joining the scheme.

At prime minister’s questions David Cameron said 250 extra firms had shown interest in joining the scheme.

Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pension secretary, said the protesters outside Tescos were anarchists and half of them were unemployed.

“The reality for us is that this is a great programme. It is one of the best programmes. I am so proud of this programme. The kids are getting experience,” he said.

 

Big thanks to Boycott Workfare for all their hard work & campaigning in bringing awareness about the workfare schemes. BUT …..DWP may have dropped sanctions but the battle still aint won!!

There is still more to be done!