12.00 4th March 2013

Folks initially gathered outside the entrance to the offices of A4e at Maid Marian House, Maid Marian Way, Nottingham.

Banners displayed and leaflets handed out expaliain the issues.  There was much interest from the clients / customers / canon fodder. It was heartening to see so many leaflets being taken and read earnestly.

Then across the road to the Ingeus offices, 55 Maid Marian Way. This time, a nicer spot in the sun.

Event Statement:

On Monday March the 4th meet outside A4e's Nottingham offices at First Floor Maid Marion House Maid Marion Way. We need to let them know that they their reckless treatment of the working class will not be tolerated, and that we will not take attacks on our lives without fighting back. A4e are one of the UK’s biggest Workfare companies they are being paid billions of pounds to bully people into unpaid labour for supermarkets, charities and high street shops. 

Compulsory workfare was at the heart of the Government’s £5 billion Work Programme. So far the Government are refusing to provide figures detailing whether anyone has actually got a job on the Work Programme.

A4e's workfare contract means they get paid £45million. In the first 10 months of their contract, almost 115,000 people were referred to the A4e under the Work Programme. Of those just 4,000 have managed to obtain jobs that lasted 13 weeks or more - the length of time the government determines as a successful outcome.

A4e, which paid its former chairman Emma Harrison an £8.6m dividend in 2010, referred the second largest number of cases for punishment. The firm, which has been at the centre of a series of fraud allegations, in the first year of it's Work programme contact demanded that 10,120 individuals be sanctioned. The Jobcentres agreed to withhold benefits in 3,000 of those cases.

Workfare means that those who need welfare are forced into unpaid work for multimillion pound companies. Instead of a living wage, they recieve only Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) far below the minimum wage. The companies themselves don't pay anything. 

Workfare means that those in paid positions may see their jobs replaced by this unpaid labour. Why would a company pay for people to do your jobs when they can get free labour from the job centre?

It's clear that workfare and other work programmes like it are another attack by the rich on the poor. We need to unite in order to fight back against the rich bosses and goverment officals who think we'll take this lying down.

Contact email: nottsagainstworkfare@riseup.net

Demonstration against A4e and Ingeus

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/5412

Riseup! Radio at A4e

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/5413

Workfare : Forced Labour Protest

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2447

Workfare walk of shame in Nottingham

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2834

Workfare walk of shame

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2836

Ingeous Bollocks O:-) 

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/tumbles/2812

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ALAN LODGE 

Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham.  UK

Email:                 tash@indymedia.org

Web:                   http://digitaljournalist.eu

Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]

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"It is not enough to curse the darkness.

                                   It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"

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