Precarious workers, students, the unemployed, squatters, and the angry and annoyed turned up outside the Nottingham offices of Ingeus and A4e for a demonstration called by Nottingham against Workfare and Stop G8 Notts. A “Workfare ain't Fair” was handed out and hundreds of leaflets entitled “Workfare is Class warefare” were handed out to shoppers, as well as those employed and harassed by A4e and Ingeus. This demonstration was part of a local and national campaign aiming to highlight the grievous attack by the capitalist class on everyone else that is workfare.

So far in Nottingham different groups and individuals have leafleted job centers, held pickets outside shops that use workfare, and private companies who administrate the welfare industry such as Atos, Ingeus and A4e have had their building sabotaged by unknown individuals with hammers, stickers and glue. Similar activities have happened around the country with shops being occupied by bodies and certain offices being targeted with phone blockades.

It's clear that the willingness to resist is there, questions remain over whether the class solidarity, the organization or the long term strategy is? We know we can't rely solely on Unions many of whom have implicitly supported the recent reforms and explicitly suggest that the response is to re-elect a Labour party who were as guilty in attacking the poor and working classes as this current Lib-Con government is. Street demonstrations like todays could remain a valid way of spreading the word and engaging with more pissed off people, they will only be relevant if they are used to build a broad coalition where the balance between autonomy and horizontal collectivism is found.

As part of the Workfare week of action Nottingham Against Workfare will be holding a Blockdade on Workfare parasites Burtons Men's Clothing on the Saturday 23rd March at 14:00.

Stop G8 Notts will be next meeting at the Sumac Centre on Tuesday 12th March at 19:30, and a “They won't pay and neither will we” demonstration at the Tax offices on the 5th April.

If you're a claimant or unemployed come along to The Unemployed workers Club at the Sumac Centre every thursday at 11am.