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Cambridge Jobcentre 'Redecorated'!

Cameraboy | 17.06.2011 21:42 | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | Cambridge

There was an unexpected new paintjob applied last night to Henry Giles House, the Cambridge Jobcentre on Chesterton Lane.

Persons unknown had sprayed "Fuck work B4 it fucks U" right across the front of the building"!

Pretty clear what that says!
Pretty clear what that says!

Going but not quite gone.
Going but not quite gone.

Almost removed, but just about legible...
Almost removed, but just about legible...


Although the office workers were quick to hire someone to clean off most of it, I managed to capture some of it for posterity (see pictures).

It comes as no surprise to me, as there is currently a lot anger and resentment bubbling just beneath the surface in the light of the Tories putting the squeeze on benefits claimants, including bogus medical checkups for disabled people by private subcontractor Atos, daily signings for anyone who has been unemployed for more than two years, compulsory work placements ("workfare"), effectively working up to full time hours for a month for your giro, and A4e forcing claimants to apply for jobs they neither want or are able to do.

It's also worth noting that private subcontractors A4e are paid a commission by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for each time they manage to shuffle off another claimant into an an inappropiate (mostly low paid) job, effectively perpetuating a situation where overall wages are depressed by private companies paying barely more than the minimum wage for long hours of manual labour.

There's little incentive in the system to be honest either, because if you work part time and sign on, then do the right thing and declare your earnings, you are 'allowed' a £10.00 a week 'pocket money', then the rest gets deducted pound for pound from your benefits, making it moreorless pointless to continue working.

Given this, it should come as no surprise there is a hidden grey economy of people signing on and working on the quiet.

So yes, of course some people are angry about the benefits system.

Cameraboy

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

the point of work

17.06.2011 23:10

>> There's little incentive in the system to be honest either, because if you work part time and sign on, then do the right thing and declare your earnings, you are 'allowed' a £10.00 a week 'pocket money', then the rest gets deducted pound for pound from your benefits, making it moreorless pointless to continue working.

The "point" of working is so that you arn't living on handouts.
You shouldn't be sitting there wondering how much more you get in a job and therefore is or is it not worth staying on benefits. You should get off benefits full stop, so that you don't have to live off handouts from The State.

The State isn't going to be there forever. Once social change and reform have begun, the state apparatus will be dismantled. That will be the point then working for money will be the option over benefits because there won't be a state to hand them out.

judder


INCOME SUPPORT

17.06.2011 23:58

The majority of claimants and money being handed out is for people on income support, people working in low income jobs. Wouldn`t it make sense to actually pay these people a living wage??

eRIC


arbeit macht frei

18.06.2011 04:20

Judder>>>The "point" of working is so that you arn't living on handouts.

As opposed to making a profit for the shareholders/owners?

Judder>>> The State isn't going to be there forever. Once social change and reform have begun, the state apparatus will be dismantled. That will be the point then working for money will be the option over benefits because there won't be a state to hand them out.

Okay so this reform and social change will lead to capitalism without states to enforce it?

You haven't really thought this through, have you?

sredduj


comment

18.06.2011 10:50

It should be remembered that it is only possible to get state handouts because the state uses threats of violence against the WORKING CLASS to rase taxes.

If we all clubbed together to make a kitty for our comrade who fall on hard times we would be a lot more careful about who we help out. And we'd probably be less likely to ask for help.

But who cares 'cus under the violence of statism everyone thieves of every one anyway.

Anarchsit


Destroy Work

18.06.2011 10:56

“Early Friday morning, 17 June, we brought disorder to Chesterton Road, Cambridge. The HSBC bank was graffitied, its locks glued, its cashpoint trashed using glue and spraypaint. The offices of Seetech, a ‘back to work’ training company, was graffitied with the words FUCK WORK and circled As, a bike lock was used to chain the front doors and the locks were glued. We then visited the Chesterton Road JobCentre and graffitied the front saying FUCK WORK B4 IT FUCKS U and so on. We then sabotaged the cashpoints of the Lloyds TSB and the Barclays banks nearby, also graffiting both offices and gluing locks. A few other nearby businesses had their locks glued and were graffitied, including the slogan SMASH AUTHORITY, FUCK THE POLICE.

This goes out to other marginalised people, those who cannot and/or will not integrate into this sick society.

International solidarity to imprisoned fighters, including American eco-anarchist prisoners Marie Mason and Eric McDavid, also not forgetting another long term caged freedom lover Ted Kaczynski (aka FC or ‘Unabomber’).

We will not forget or give in, subversive complicities are our strength! Until all cages are destroyed…”

Anonymous Autonomous

-

Communique found here:
 http://325.nostate.net/?p=2759
 http://waronsociety.noblogs.org/post/2011/06/17/cambridge-uk-bank-action-in-solidarity-with-eco-anarchist-prisoners/

Destroy the Economy


@ the condescending cock

18.06.2011 19:20

>> As opposed to making a profit for the shareholders/owners?
As opposed to living off hard working tax payers who have got enough problems, but have to pay for your food in your belly otherwise they get sent to prison

>> You haven't really thought this through, have you?
Yes i have actually. Its called not wanting to work and then pay my earnings to a bunch of unemployable moaners who moan about who their handouts are too much and therefore they don't need to work.


@Anarchsit
>> It should be remembered that it is only possible to get state handouts because the state uses threats of violence against the WORKING CLASS to rase taxes.
Yes. Not very nice on the working class. There should equally be a threat of violence against the layabouts.

>> If we all clubbed together to make a kitty for our comrade who fall on hard times we would be a lot more careful about who we help out. And we'd probably be less likely to ask for help.

Interesting idea. However, I don't think people are as chariable as this. Everyone is skint and only pay taxes because they are threatening with imprisonment. I doubt that many people would voluntary pay to a fund - especially if it started equating to a large proportion of their salary. Then they would also resent paying when lots of other people don't.

Furthermore, the lazy ones who don't choose to work and didn't get anything from the fund would bleat about their human rights etc - so it would probably be illegal anyway.

>> But who cares 'cus under the violence of statism everyone thieves of every one anyway.
Yes, taxes should be the smallest figure possible and people who are lazy shouldn't get benefits. I mean by lazy where they are complaining that their job is only slightly more than benefits - so what? Do the job. Anything is lazy and undeserving of benefits which could be used for genuine people in need like cancer victims, the elderly etc.

f you get paid £10 more than benefits for working - you should take it and let the benefits go to someone who deserves it otherwise you are thieving due to lazyness. FACT

whatever


You can be workshy and have a job!

20.06.2011 18:30

"f you get paid £10 more than benefits for working - you should take it and let the benefits go to someone who deserves it otherwise you are thieving due to lazyness. FACT"

Oh ye of little faith.

I have actually been in the situation of trying to play by their rules and declaring earnings for a part time job - have you?

When you have WORKED HARD to earn some money and then declare it in good faith, only to have your efforts moreorless completely negated by deductions, it doesn't exactly instill in you a faith in their system.

In fact, it makes you think "why the hell did I bother doing this"?

If the system had a more positive bias in it (open to suggestions here), to actually reward or commend people in some way for having both the initiative and motivation to work, and the honesty to declare those earnings, instead of penalising said honesty and initiative with deductions, perhaps it would encourage people to do it more.

This is why people are pissed off about the benefits system - too many sticks and not enough carrots, because contrary to what soothsayers like you drone on about, I think if you bothered to ask, you would find that the vast majority of people who end up on benefits do actually want to work, myself included.

In fact, I've met more workshy, skiving people who have jobs than don't!

Not Workshy At All...


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