Are Bristol Rovers using 'jubilee' style workfare?

by Wobbly Sun Jun 10, 2012 22:06

Hello Bindymedia, we at Bristol IWW have been contacted by a representative for Tomorrows People advising that:

We're very happy to answer your queries regarding Tomorrow's People.
We'd also be happy if you could correct inaccuracies such as claiming
that Tomorrow's People is "owned by a Tory Baroness" - it's not, it is a
registered charity.

So, could you change the article to read "ran by a Tory Baroness", not "owned by a Tory Baroness" - cheers

by FBWL Mon Jun 11, 2012 09:11

We tweeted about this (@bristolwithlove) and Kerry McCarthy Mp got back to us to confirm:

"Don't know how many but yes, unpaid work experience at Rovers was part of #jubileestewards training. And Plymouth Argyle."

Ed Gillard then confirmed how many and where they were used:
"They were stationed in various places. 3 worked on the gates then moved to the stands when the match started"

WTF are a community club like Rovers doing dealing with these clowns??! Time was when the staff at the ground were fellow supporters, or people from the local area who needed a hand, not effing unpaid slave labour!

by Dusty Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:58

Slave labour!

Shall we say this is perhaps a little melodramatic?

Or just a pathetic over reaction...?

by Buy three workers get one free - Boycott Holland and Barrett Mon Jun 11, 2012 15:09

For more background on the links between the Tories and Tomorrow's People I have to shamelessly plug Johnny Voids excellent report again.

http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/tomorrows-pe...ront/

Amazing stuff!

Boycott Workfare have called for a Week of Action against Workfare. See http://www.boycottworkfare.org/

I could have fed the trolls but have decided to use my better judgement.

by Ether Mon Jun 11, 2012 15:40

I don't really think a debate about definitions is productive, but here I go anyway. Is this as bad as past slavery carried out by britain ? Is it forced labour? Yes, you do it or you loose all acess to money, and are thus punished by not being able to keep a home, buy fuel/food, look after dependants etc.

'Forced labor is when an individual is forced to work against his or her will, under threat of violence or other punishment, with restrictions on their freedom. It is also used to describe all types of slavery and may also include institutions not commonly classified as slavery, such as serfdom, conscription and penal labor.'

From new internationalist article on modern slavery http://www.newint.org/features/2001/08/05/facts/

by Anarcho-Syndicalist Mon Jun 11, 2012 17:12

"The protest aimed to raise the issue that any form of forced work for free is a form of slavery, whatever the excuse given, and is not fit for a country as Great as Britain."

You realise that cities like Bristol were built on the transatlantic slave economy right? Since when did Solfed and the Wobblies stop having an internationalist perspective, is it really better to be 'gainfully employed' in corporations that support forms of forced and sweatshop labour so long as they do outside of England? Not impressed.

by stuffit - victorian ethics Mon Jun 11, 2012 19:53

Is it just me or did it just used to be schoolkids that did 'work experience'?

we're talking about adults here.

This is further evidence of a change in the UK economy designed to force ALL workers whether employed or not into a downwards race to get a job, any job, no matter what the conditions.

Doesn't even have to come with a wage nowadays. This workfare is not designed to get people good qualifications leading to long term work, it's about servicing a vast private sector industry based around getting qualifications for things that people can already do, then making them work for free to do things that they already know how.

So Listen: anyone here thinking this is a bunch of 14 year olds getting free football matches think again!

by realistic Tue Jun 12, 2012 22:16

come on, "community club"? why do you think Bristol Rovers are different from any other football club? they want to win games, their fans want to win games, and their fans (with the exception of a few in the IWW who probably never "support" their team by going to games anyway) probably want them to win more than they care about workers rights. Why don't you ask the supporters club about what they think? I reckon they'd rather sack all their stewards and use freebie workfare staff in order to have more money to spend on getting results.

by Neorealism? Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:10

We go to plenty of games thanks, in the Blackthorn, and none of us are "Wolfy Smith" hippies either.

Rovers pride themselves on being a community club, and football clubs are different to Tescos, who you seem to be comparing them to (pile it high, sell it cheap, "what do goals make? clubcard points!")

I think most gasheads didn't know that the club was using slave labour, and a good many of them would have a problem with that.

Obviously, there's always some 'neo realists' like you who want to go back to Victorian times (maybe we should get rid of the 8hr day while we're at it?) but hopefully not too many.

by jbard Wed Jun 13, 2012 14:20

Under workfare, you have to work where we tell you, when, and for how long, or else you lose the right to have food, water, housing, to support your dependents... things which were (mostly) guaranteed.

What fucking definition of slavery do you use?

by imcvol Wed Jun 13, 2012 15:42

I have amended the article in line with the first comment.

imcvol

by Dusty Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:30

As you no concept of what slave labour actually is, I just feel sorry for your downright ignorance.

I feel sorry that you are so uneducated that you make a fool of yourself on this forum.

You really are a sad individual, who has to swear for emphasis.

Go and get an education.

Maybe try reading a book.

by Buy three workers get one free - Boycott Holland and Barrett Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:48

I said I wouldn't feed the trolls but for those who are really interested in how Workfare will not only force the employed to work for free but also effectively force down wages in low and semi skilled work. Here is a quote from Boycott Workfare site

"The fight against workfare enters a new arena as two claimants challenge workfare in the courts. On Tuesday 26th June the Royal Courts of Justice will hear Cait Reilly and an unnamed claimant challenge their workfare placements in the Sector Based Work Academy and the Community Action Programme respectively. They will argue that these placements represent a form of forced labour breaching Article 4 of the Human Rights Act.

The outcome of these court cases could have significant implications for the government’s five workfare schemes.

We wish Cait and the other claimant our best wishes with their attempt to challenge workfare in the courts.

Boycott Workfare will be holding a protest in support of the claimants outside the courts.Further details will be announced when we have them, but keep 26th June in your diary."

We not have much faith in the courts but do await with interest the judgement.

by Anon Thu Jun 14, 2012 14:42

Workfare is analagous to serfdom or more specifically "corvèe". Social housing tenants in particular face being "bonded to the land" in that you have nowhere else to go and no other way of making money.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corv%C3%A9e

It's important that you know history if you don't want to become a part of it.

by worker bee Thu Jun 14, 2012 20:23

I have no issue with people who are on long term benefits being made to work for it.

Slavery? Lets compare then:
- I work, then money is forcibly took off my entitled wages to pay for your food and shelter.
- You don't work, get given money for nothing, and don't have to pay anyone.

That is plainly wrong. People should work if they want food in their belly.
Thats how every lifeform on the planet works. If a rabbit sits around doing nothing it will starve. It does work (look for food) to survive. There is no benefits for animals, why humans?

by stuffit - workhouse Thu Jun 14, 2012 21:17

Whether people feel the term 'slavery' is too strong a term to use or not, lets not get distracted. Whatever we call it, it marks a big shift :

"One man sent to Argos by Jobcentre Plus, he said, had been working unpaid for 30 hours a week in a six-week placement. "No one who was paid was getting overtime any more," he said. "Everyone was being cut down to four-hour shifts. A guy who worked there told me that. The staff were very demoralised that we were taking up so much potential shift work."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/08/jubilee-s...owing

and

"There’s mounting evidence the Government’s work and employment strategy is deliberately geared towards the exploitation of workers and the unemployed."

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2012/06/14/the-govts-work-...ence/

The question is what do we do about it?

by CHump Thu Jun 14, 2012 21:28

are you referring to the aristocracy worker-bee?

by anon Fri Jun 15, 2012 03:36

Animals do a lot of things, including rolling around in their own filth. Animals don't have medicine or old age pensions, so when an animal gets old or sick, it dies. Animals also do not have speech, opposable thumbs, fire, the wheel, computers, or spacecraft.

(In fact the society that put people on the Moon and invented the Internet had an extensive welfare state - whereas post-Workfare Americans increasingly live like peasants in a failing third world economy. But anyway.)

Tell you what, Mr. Government Troll - you cut off your thumbs, roll around in your own shit and starve yourself to death when you get too old to work - like every other life form on Earth! And no tool use, culture, or fire for you! In other words why don't you behave like an animal, and I'll behave like a human being. Come back in a couple of years and we'll see how each of us are doing :-)