Wed, 13/02/2013 - 19:34

Workfare: what's your experience?

Are you unemployed and placed on one of the DWP’s Workfare schemes? Contact us.

The court recently judged the DWP regulations surrounding the workfare programme as unlawful. Claimants on any of the other schemes can now withdraw without threat of sanction and existing sanctions must be brought to an end. Unless the DWP wins the right of appeal, all those who have been sanctioned will be entitled to repayment of lost benefit and all referrals will have been unlawful.

However, the DWP is currently laying new regulations which could make all the workfare schemes lawful and mandatory. Added to this, we’ve had numerous reports of claimants being forced under threat of sanction onto the ‘voluntary’ schemes and there is no reason this won’t continue.

The Solidarity Federation is a union initiative which for the past year has been campaigning against workfare on the grounds that it represents an attack on the pay and conditions of all workers, employed or unemployed.

Brighton Solidarity Federation are in your area organising around workers’ rights and would like to talk to claimants who have experience of or are currently on the workfare programme.  By working together your experience will help us build a collective challenge to the exploitation of unpaid workers. We are interested in hearing from you!

contact us through the website or by email: brighton [at] solfed.org.uk