Rowdy Mob Confronts Workfare Conference and Spoils Their Lunch

Reblogged from The Void:

A rowdy mob gathered outside today’s welfare-to-work conference as part of the Week of Action Against Workfare and Sanctions.

The annual conference is organised by ERSA, the trade body established to lie on behalf of the workfare industry.  Whilst vile workfare supporters like Esther McVey and the hard right Tax Payers Alliance gave speeches inside, people outside brought pots and pans, musical instruments, sound systems and megaphones to ensure the delegates could hear the anger at their exploitation of people in receipt of benefits.

Up t0 50 people joined the protest which began outside the main entrance to Senate House, the venue for the conference.  The group then set off for a walk round the building to hunt down the workfare exploiters only to find them having lunch just around the corner.  There then followed a cacophony of noise as protesters whistled, jeered and made as much noise as possible right outside the window ensuring that the poverty profiteers tax-payer funded lunch was as unpleasant as possible.

Meanwhile scores of people took over the #ERSA2013 hashtag for the day, ensuring that any attempt at white-washing their dirty little forced labour schemes on twitter was a dismal failure.  Elsewhere people contacted the sponsors of the event demanding they end any association with workfare.

The main sponsor, who paid out a whopping £6000, were @learndirect.  In an expensive marketing disaster they were singled out and their facebook page bombarded after they were found to be workfare exploiters themselves.  Keep up the pressure  and make sure they bitterly regret every last penny they spent supporting forced unpaid work.

Protests are planned around the UK as part of the week of action with upcoming action in Reading, Wrexham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff along with four more protests in London.  Online actions will continue everyday this week so keep an eye on Boycott Workfare’s website for the latest announcements.