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U.S style Workfare coming to the U.K...

SWAN | 23.07.2008 11:51 | Workfare | London | Sheffield

The 'Workhouse' comes closer…

Yet another Welfare Green Paper will mean cheap labour, reducing costs, a Victorian notion of the ‘undeserving poor’ and creating a new market off the the backs of some of the most vulnerable in the UK,

On Monday, James Purnell the Works And Pensions secretary launched yet another Green Paper on welfare reform, entitled ‘No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility’ a very significant package which proposes even more draconian policies which will impact on the most vulnerable in our society

They include proposals for

Disabled claimants and others

A requirement for all claimants in the employment and support allowance (ESA) work related activity group to undertake general work related activity

An overhaul of the medical certification system, as proposed by Dame Carol Black away from sick notes towards the controversial (and much derided) Well Note’

 http://www.workingforhealth.gov.uk/Carol-Blacks-Review/

An full implementation of the Freud review devolving back to work powers to private and voluntary sector providers with providers to be paid by results)

drug users will be required to undergo treatment to overcome their addiction and get back into work

Increased funding for access to work and workstep programmes ( access to work will receive double its current funding)

Attendance of compulsory training with consultation on whether this will apply to those on IB, ESA and lone parents with children above the age of five

The possibility of allowing claimants to choose their back to work provider
exploring ways that disabled adults can be given greater control over the combined budget which the government spends on their support

In terms of Jobseeker's allowance (JSA)

New claimants will face mandatory back to work ‘group sessions’ and ‘skills health checks’, new "directed job search stages" and after six months ‘supported ‘job search stages where they must widen the scope of jobs they look for and sign on weekly,

There will be 26 week benefits sanction for non attendance or failure to take a job and even an additional two week sanction for failure to comply with an agreed activity in the claimant's action plan)

After one year claimants will be transferred over to a public or voluntary sector provider and required to do at least four weeks "full time activity", but which can be as long as needed if it is relevant in preparation for the goal of sustained work, after two years there may be full time work programmes with private and voluntary sector providers

There will be tougher sanctions for those who fail to take steps to get back to work or refuse a job


Comment

This is all very disturbing, while much of this has already been announced and the announcement that the 'Access to Work' budget is to be doubled is positive news, it is clear as was predicted by SWAN and others that we are moving towards a US style minimal, high surveillance and invasive welfare system: many of these reforms are very coercive indeed, the levels of conditionality and sanctions extreme and also are predicated on a buoyant job market. This is now looking unlikely as recessions hits. It is likely it will become treasury led as a vehicle to reduce public expenditure and will increasingly be just about getting the ‘welfare costs’ lower

It appears all parties support these reforms, reforms which are occurring right across the neo-liberal economies in Europe and beyond, taking their lead form the U.S. In an excellent article on Compass Online 'New Labour And The End Of Welfare’ Jonathan Rutherford' exposed the genesis of the welfare reforms and the Freud review, but also the links between the now global nature of welfare identifying global insurance companies, such as the rogue’US insurance giant Unum Provident and the massive influence they have with all Governments, etc. Welfare is now big business....

‘This annual multi-billion pound market and the creation of regional monopolies ‘would attract major players from around the world’ (p62-3, Freud Review). As Freud concludes: ‘The fiscal prize is considerable’.

 http://www.compassonline.org.uk/article.asp?n=563&offset=20

The idea of welfare to work and claimants undertaking some community work may on the surface seem appealing to the average hard pressed worker, but is it right that people will be working for 1.60 an hour? This is similar to the Harz Laws in Germany and the ‘one Euro’ job, however these were faced by mass protests and are still being contested

One can also argue they have not been successful, In the U.S Clintonian ‘tough love’ welfare policies has led to a revolving poor of low wages, welfare cuts, coercion by private agancies, periods of ill health and in cases of addicts , prison as people try to survive. Significantly, in places like New York City, people on welfare to work programmes have replaced low income city workers, like gardeners, janitors, street cleaners, basic maintenance etc.

While a Canadian Govt report indicated their Welfare To Work programmes just didn’t achieve their aims. The report clearly showing there had been no increase in the numbers of employable welfare clients declaring employment income after leaving welfare. Many in fact had actually have died on the streets.

 http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/11/12/NoWelfare/

Many progressive commentators are calling these reforms ‘ a move to a new Workhouse*, something SWAN would certainly concur with: its is clear that claimants will have fewer rights and entitlements, be faced with unacceptable
survillance by private companies, face severe benefit sanctions etc, the Govt makes clear responsibilities will come before ‘entitlements’

SWAN has said before it support the idea of focussed good quality support to claimants who feel ready to accept it, but it must be without coercion, not be profit driven and in the best interests of the claimant. These reforms seem to be about cheap labour, reducing costs, a Victorian notion of the ‘undeserving poor’ and creating a new market off the the backs of some of the most vulnerable in the UK, therefore with some omissions these reforms do not fulfil those principles

SWAN urges all its allies to challenge these ‘reforms’ and write to James Purnell, their M.P’s, Unions, faith groups, charities, to apply as much pressure so these draconian ‘reforms’ are rejected….

The reforms may be surprisingly have largely been welcomed by the 'liberal' press: Guardian, Independent, as well of course the conservative press.
However, Labour M.P John McDonnell has come out strongly against them as has some unions, notably the PCS.

 http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/

 http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/news_centre/index.cfm/id/08B0C76D-4991-4391-968D10844C9620CB


* http://www.workhouses.org.uk/

SWAN
- e-mail: sheffieldwelfare_an@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.swansheffield.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

Too right we need to oppose this - big time!

23.07.2008 14:51

And anybody who has ever claimed benefits, or is claiming now, needs to be in the forefront of the opposition. This won't be stopped JUST by people writing to their MPs and government ministers, though that's a good start. There needs to be mass sabotage of the scheme (using legal methods, of course) by anybody likely to be affected by it. From what I've heard about the current private providers of "employment advice", it shouldn't be too difficult to discover and publicise the absurdity and futility of what they get up to. Like trying to get somebody who didn't have a driving licence a job as an HGV driver...and what was it I heard about one of these companies being owned by an American evangelical group? Bizarre.

Above all, we need to revive the claimants unions, similar to the ones that existed in the 70s and 80s, to empower claimants to assert their dignity and their rights to work that they CHOOSE to do, or adequate state support.

Are there any such groups in existence? Liverpool has a claimant action group but they don't seem to be doing much, and the way they advertise themselves - "people who have been failed by the social security appeals system" - is a bit negative. If you learn how the system works, it is not difficult to play it to your advantage. Anybody can learn how to do this.

Andy Citizen
- Homepage: http://www.rightsandwrongsuk.blogspot.com


Why should I have to work?

23.07.2008 18:10

Like many I've never done a day's work in my life and I don't intend to start now! My benefits are my right! Support benefit claimants and ensure that they get what they are entitled to!

Mike


In the workhouse

23.07.2008 18:10

Couldn't agree more with John Rogers and Andy Citizen.
Problem is the "dolescum" will almost certainly NOT EVER protest, campaign, etc, they are just NOT interested, probably never will be.....so they will eventually get shit on like they deserve too.

The system just views us as objects, to make money from us, take taxes off us, squeeze labour and everything else out of us and fairness and humanity just DONT come into it.

We have to get out on the streets NOW, RECLAIM THE STREETS, but if we do, it will be the same old do gooder crowd and how much will it achieve - when the three grey parties in Parliament don,t give a damn about the welfare of the poor?

Workhouse here we come. Not in my name.

New ideas and lots and lots and lots of angry fuss and bother and downright revolt are needed.

The peasants are revolting. Yeah, right.

Steve skidrow


Link to the Green Paper

23.07.2008 19:09

The Green Paper: 'No one written off'
 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/welfarereform/noonewrittenoff/

Should be called 'Everyone signed off'. The government is keen to say that they are implementing the Freud report and the 'new' benefits regime should be implemented by a combination of public & private including voluntary sector orgs who will be paid by results. This should be a point for concern. What results are we talking about? Getting people off benefits by all means necessary? The government will say no no no, we mean getting people into proper 'sustainable' jobs. Yeah, right, imagine all these private companies agreeing not to be paid if surprise surprise these jobs don't actually exist. And exactly who will be the decision-makers that decide you are not trying hard enough and so cut you off benefits? Those same providers with an incentive/quota to get x% of their 'customers' off benefits in so many months?

As well as the overt attack on persons with sickness and or disability there are some other developments like JSA for partners that need to be highlighted.

Nottingham Claimants Action

Some discussion here:
 http://libcom.org/forums/news/incapacity-beneft-income-support-be-scrapped-21072008

NCA
- Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/ncajsa


Corporate Fascist State

23.07.2008 20:39

I recently asked my "adviser"

"Aren't you supposed to find out my barriers to work?"

He said

" guess so, what are they?"

I said

"I'm living in a corporate fascist dictatorship, run by war criminals"

You're still allowed to refuse work on grounds of concience..

work-shy scrounger


Stop this abomination now!

24.07.2008 12:58

Fight the power!

I'm an anarchist and anarchists don't work period - this so-called scheme is an attack on my human rights.

I don't work and never will - fuck that for a game of soldiers. Supporting the capitalist regime? You must be having a laugh.

As someone else is paying for my benefits there's no way I'm getting out of bed.

I can supplement my dole by selling some home grown skunk - I'm ripping off the electric too.

All property is theft - but if you touch my drugs I'll have ya.

No work for the workshy - oppose this attack on the proletariat!

Workshy


workshy your a ignorant dumb ass, get a proper job & life!

25.07.2008 15:17

you fuckwitt where do you get your views from the suns reknown investigitave journalism maybe?
you will find more intelligent roadies, builders, metalworkers,truckers etc across the world with true libertarian views than nazi sickos!
you might have the power to talk shite, but havent got the right as lemmy would say;)

heres to all the amazing volutary workers who have to put up with this fuckwittery& do jobs for free that are taxes are meant but are wasted most probably paying idiots like "workshy"

Neo Mac


I'd support campaign2 pay,give more benefits2voluntary workers,who do vital jobs

25.07.2008 15:21

I'd support campaign2 pay,give more benefits2voluntary workers,who do vital jobs
this could spearhead an attack back. I'd be up for supporting it & used to help run nottingham claimants action, at mo Iam too busy with other work, but I'd support it & it would get a lot of sympathy

Green syndicalist


Response to Labour's anti-welfare Green paper.

14.09.2008 16:42

A more recent response to Green Paper (from Chartist Magazine, Sept/Oct 2008):
 http://libcom.org/news/workfare-comes-britain-07092008

See also:
Unions blast welfare reform plan - BBC news report on TUC conference (Sept 2008).
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7610622.stm

---
NCA blog:  http://www.geocities.com/ncajsa/blog/

NCA
- Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/ncajsa


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