Reblogged from The Void:
In
a victory for anti-workfare campaigners, the number of people forced to
work without pay on the Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) scheme is
steadily falling.
MWA is just one of several workfare programmes and involves four
weeks full-time work for charities or so-called ‘community
organisations’ under the threat of meagre benefits being stopped. 2,670
people were sent on the scheme in February 2014, compared to a high of
over four thousand during the same period last year. In December 2013
only 1,720 starts were recorded, the lowest figure since the scheme was
just beginning in the summer of 2011.
The fall in the number of unpaid workers comes after two years of
campaigning against by Boycott Workfare and other claimant’s groups
which has now seen hundreds of charities rejecting forced labour
schemes. Household names such as Oxfam, Scope and Shelter have been
joined by over 300 organisations to sign the Keep Volunteering Voluntary agreement which firmly rejects unpaid work under the threat of benefit sanctions.
This month’s figures are particularly embarrassing for the DWP as
they attempt to roll out the most draconian workfare scheme yet.
Community Work Placements will see thousands of people sent to carry out
780 hours work without pay. Where they will be sent remains shrouded
in mystery. The DWP refuse to say which charities are using workfare to
protect the reputations of these supposedly ethical and transparent
organisations.
We do know that @salavationarmyuk, @YMCA_England and @TCVtweets
have all said they will not take part in Community Work Placements, but
they are all still happy to use forced workers on the Mandatory Work
Activity scheme. All three of these charities are complicit in
processing benefit sanctions which have driven people into destitution.
Workfare quango @Groundworkuk
also use free labour on the MWA scheme, and are the only national
charity we know for sure that will be involved in Community Work
Placements.
The fight against workfare is a long way from over, but as decent
charities everywhere distance themselves from forced work, it is a fight
that can be won.
To join in visit: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/
The MWA statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-work-programme-support-mandatory-programmes-may-2014
Sign the petition to scrap all benefit sanctions without exceptions.