Tuesday 16 April 2013

Labour’s real guarantee: Workfare

Last week saw the Labour Party announce its own form of workfare: the Job Guarantee.

 
Labour, who introduced workfare and welfare reform into the UK whilst in government, now guarantees a number of things: It guarantees that yet again politicians will give billions of taxpayers’ money to subsidise big private businesses – probably the likes of failing and government contract reliant A4E, and workfare-users ASDA – helping them to drive up their profit margins.

It guarantees to further undermine real job vacancies as companies replace job roles with subsidised compulsory short-term placements.

Some in Labour realise exactly what workfare means and are privately aghast at this policy initiative.

While Labour join in promoting the idea that everyone who is unemployed is a scrounging benefits cheat, the fact is that spending on JSA is just 3% of the DWP’s budget. 

The majority of the social security budget is spent on pensions, and paying in-work benefits to those in work on low wages, wages made lower all the time by workfare.

Yet ignoring such facts, this year one MP has promised that Labour will launch a ‘Workers not Shirkers’ campaign, guaranteeing to boost government spin which demonises those who are unemployed. Labour guarantees workfare. We guarantee to fight it.

No comments:

Post a Comment