SEN: Why we are boycotting Community Work Placements scheme

Here at SEN, we have decided to boycott the government’s new Help To Work scheme, including the Community Work Placements programme. This is why. 

There has been a lot of discussion across the Liverpool City Region and across the country in recent months about the merits of the government’s new Community Work Placements scheme. As you may know, it is a new programme that has recently been launched by the DWP aimed at the long-term unemployed.

For an individual aged 25+ in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), after twelve months without work, they may be mandated to take part in the government’s Work Programme. In the Liverpool City Region, this Work Programme is run by two firms – A4E and Ingeus.  The Work Programme is, briefly, a scheme of support, training and work experience for the long-term unemployed. There are problems with it, but they can be left to one side for the moment.

For people who are still without work after having completed the Work Programme, the government has now introduced their new Help to Work scheme, of which the Community Work Placements scheme programme is one of three strands. And it is this strand that we at SEN cannot support.

The details are as follows: Under the terms of the Community Work Placements scheme, JSA Claimants are mandated to work for 30 hours a week in a role that will “benefit the community” for a minimum of five months. In return for this, they will continue to receive JSA. If they refuse, they run the risk of their JSA being withdrawn. No wages will be paid for the 660 hours of work that they are forced to do.

We have been approached by the government’s contractor for the Liverpool City Region to take part in the scheme ourselves and to promote it to our membership. We have refused to do so.

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