Enjoyed the jubilee events? read these then reply.. *shocking*

[Meade's Ball]

After being made to wait about 20 minutes for the final Apprentice to start, i was most pleased to witness Gary Barlow, the block-headed mainstreamer, travel the world to mostly ignore any alternative influences to his middle of the road pap, and then present his achievement to a mostly disinterested queen. He rattled on about what it taught him, but she, the crown-wearing bigot, could not in all honesty give a shite. Just like i wouldn't if that X-factor judge turned up to tell me about a world i still believe i govern, accompanied by the squashed-grape-headed weirdo in the guise of Lloyd Webber.

And yes, i do believe it's mean to not actually give people the money they deserve for a hard day's graft. Slave labour is ideally something of the past and not to be repeated. The u-turnaholic coalition might change their minds again about it all this week, so worry not too much.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

There's a petition going, to get this abuse of desparate people stopped..

Petition to Abolish Work for your Benefit/Workfare Schemes in the UK - e-petitions

Riiiight. What about coming back to the questions I raised about how this 'forced labour' affects their benefits?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I was actually quite shocked at the amount and aggressive behaviour of the down and outs in brighton on Friday. We went for a walk from king Alfred along the seafront and up through the lanes , east street, new road and back down quees road west street and were "approached" many times...after the third one, I said I had no change, which actually was factually correct and I was told I was an uncaring c**t as I didn't give some drunken sot some more money for booze.

We hadn't been into brighton on an evening for many years and felt intimidated. Very sad really

 

[crasher]

Riiiight. What about coming back to the questions I raised about how this 'forced labour' affects their benefits?

Workfare works like this. You are asked to join an eight-week work programme for which you will not be paid. The sweetener supposedly is you get skills and training. You can, I believe, opt out in the first few days but after that if you stop the programme you will lose your benefit entirely. (In which case I imagine you're supposed to eat grass). Once you are on a programme you cannot refuse to do anything effectively and that appears to be the situation with these poor sods. They were initially told they were going to be paid then told no but you'll get Olympics jobs later. This is what is known in economics as "jam tomorrow".

In a nutshell, this is cynical, greedy, morally repugnant exploitation of the least well off and it's laughable that anyone would even attempt to defend it. How much do you suppose Britain has just spent on the jubilee? How much money is sloshing around London in the bank accounts of the few? And you're content to treat people like this?

 

[StonehamPark]

I think it's well overdue to give these 'long term unemployed' a kick up the arse.
They can't pick & choose when/where they work over a period of a few years! If they worked in Tesco for minimum wage 5 days a week stacking shelves or pushing trolleys they wouldn't have to endure the 'volunteer' work.

Guarantee if the weather was spectacular they would have had a great time. It seems like 75% of the moan was about working out in the wind and rain. Man up.

 

[Arthur]

No volunteers- people HAVE to do this, or lose benefits..

And so they should. If people can work they should work.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

And so they should. If people can work they should work.

But should they be working for free for a private, profit-making company, though?

 

[StonehamPark]

But should they be working for free for a private, profit-making company, though?

Free work experience to put on the CV.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Free work experience to put on the CV.

Well, hardly surprising there aren't many paid jobs out there, is it? Especially if firms think they can turn a profit by hiring coerced people to work without pay under the guise that they're offering 'free work experience to put on the cv'. It's exploitation, pure and simple.

(By the way, I have no problem with 'work experience' as such. It has the capacity to change lives and, at times, it enables people to develop qualities and skills they didn't realise they had. For example, I work in a children's nursery and, over time, we have had many people on an unpaid placement. Some have ended up getting jobs here or another setting, others have gained the experience necessary to complete their training course, others have used it as a step to break out of social isolation. However, the context has to be that the company involved has to be committed to looking after the well-being of those on a placement, with the emphasis being on shadowing the people paid to do the role. This is sharp contrast to placement people substituting those who would normally be paid to do the role).

 

[Worthingite]

knock workfare all you want, my next door neighbour has just completed a two week workfare scheme at The Range, and just been given a permanent full time job starting tomorrow. It can work if people are motivated enough to get back into work.

 

[Falkor]

have people missed this part

"The staff travelling to the jubilee are completing their training and being assessed on the job for NVQ Level 2 in spectator safety after having completed all the knowledge requirements in the classroom and some previous work experience. It is essential that they are assessed in a live work environment in order to complete their chosen qualifications.

totally understandable imo

 

[Mutts Nuts]

Like many, I watched the boat parade, and concert yesterday.. until I read this.. a DISGRACEFUL way to treat people?

and with most of the rooms at Buckingham House empty..

Unemployed bussed in to steward river pageant | UK news | The Guardian


Queen Put at Risk by Workfare Provider - blog by eddiegillard

Can`t believe anyone still reads that communist rag

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

knock workfare all you want, my next door neighbour has just completed a two week workfare scheme at The Range, and just been given a permanent full time job starting tomorrow. It can work if people are motivated enough to get back into work.

With minimum regulation, it has gained a poor reputation because of unscrupulous employers who use workfare purely as a way of getting free labour. They don't put anything back other than saying 'you can put us on your CV'. It doesn't work for good employers who use workfare to be tarred by the same brush, I agree. However, they would help themselves enormously by pushing for better regulation of the whole system so the exploitative employers don't ruin it for everyone else.

 

[Silk]

Since Labour abandoned the working class and colluded with the right to erode workers rights, this kind o f thing is common. People are now just seen as commodities.

 

[beorhthelm]

disgracfull? offering unemployed a job? ok so the working conditions arent the best, but i'd take some of this report with a pinch of salt. its funny how they've highlighted this with relation to the jubilee when this is how all major events are staffed. the work fare arrangement is how football grounds source most the stewards, so think about this next time your at the game.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

disgracfull? offering unemployed a job? ok so the working conditions arent the best, but i'd take some of this report with a pinch of salt. its funny how they've highlighted this with relation to the jubilee when this is how all major events are staffed. the work fare arrangement is how football grounds source most the stewards, so think about this next time your at the game.

Most stewards at football grounds are unpaid workers on workfare programmes where their Job Seekers' Allowance are cut if they don't fulfil the duties. Are you sure?

 

[beorhthelm]

Most stewards at football grounds are unpaid workers on workfare programmes where their Job Seekers' Allowance are cut if they don't fulfil the duties. Are you sure?

i dont believe this people are really unpaid, but certainly football grounds and other venues recruit from meetings of the jobless where sausage roll will be cut if you dont attend or take up any job offer.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

i dont believe this people are really unpaid, but certainly football grounds and other venues recruit from meetings of the jobless where sausage roll will be cut if you dont attend or take up any job offer.

What you are saying now is becoming rather fuzzy and impressionistic compared to your earlier very specific claim that 'the work fare arrangement is how football grounds source most the stewards.' So are you withdrawing that claim?

 

[LadySeagull]

have people missed this part

"the staff travelling to the jubilee are completing their training and being assessed on the job for nvq level 2 in spectator safety after having completed all the knowledge requirements in the classroom and some previous work experience. It is essential that they are assessed in a live work environment in order to complete their chosen qualifications. ''

totally understandable imo

this!

If the longterm unemployed are prepared to get off their bums and - whilst still receiving benefits - complete an NVQ that clearly involves outdoor work and unsociable hours, how exactly can they complain when their 'live work experience' includes exactly that?!

 

[beorhthelm]

What you are saying now is becoming rather fuzzy and impressionistic compared to your earlier very specific claim that 'the work fare arrangement is how football grounds source most the stewards.' So are you withdrawing that claim?

forget the "work fare" moniker.. what im saying is the security firms routinely recruit from the benefits offices for "bodies" who they ship off to events they are covering. job seekers have to attend if requested to, and take any job offer, or face loss of benefits. they where doing this 12 years ago when i attending the Borough st job shop for Goldrange, who do most the London football clubs. i was trained so went off the cover the VIP area at an event, the jobseekers get the stewarding jobs unless they show some initiative (one chap out of work for a couple years grabbed the opportunity and few years latter was running a couple of doors).