Boycott Workfare » Claimants’ stories

Claimants’ stories Posted: May 3rd, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: | No Comments » -->

Poundland exploitation

“Poundland takes on disabled people in a deal with Dwp via mickey mouse scheme. The claimant only works for 4 weeks including anti-social hours, stacking . The claimant is told at the beginning me the placement that there will be no job. My friend finished his placement and was immediately replaced at another disabled person. This is exploitation. ”

Primark and British Heart Foundation

“Karina” is 24 years old and lives in East London. She is a British citizen, originally from Bangladesh. She is currently looking for work and studying to improve her English. She worked without pay in a Primark store for nearly six months on a work placement in 2009, organised by the Jobcentre and the “provider” company administering the previous government’s Flexible New Deal programme.
How long were you claiming [unemployment benefit] before you had to volunteer at Primark?

Not long. March 2009 was my first claim. The placement was seven months after. [Before that] I was going to college [to learn English]. I paid £50 for it. Then when I went to the job centre they told me: “Now it’s the New Deal. You’re going to a placement”. I told them my English was not good but they said: “It doesn’t matter, you have to go. If you’re not going, we’ll stop your money.” They told me they would stop my JSA [Job Seekers Allowance] so I stopped my English course.

The first [placement] was with the British Heart Foundation. I worked from 9 or 9.30am to 4.30pm with a half hour break. I did everything. I went for one week and the manager was so rude. One day she ate something and left so much mess in the kitchen. Then she says to me: “Karina, you wash up.” The first time I didn’t say anything. I was scared they would stop my money.

When I went to [the New Deal provider company] I told the woman but she didn’t believe it. The clothes were dusty and I have an allergic problem so I went to the doctor and he wrote a letter. I gave the letters to [the New Deal provider] woman and she told me she found another placement for me at Primark.

The Jobcentre paid travel money but no lunch. I worked three days a week, 10am to 4.30pm or 5pm with one half hour break. [Primark] don’t pay any money. It was nearly six months, from January to June. When I finished the placement I took my CV and I asked the managers if they had any vacancies. They said: “Not yet – we’ll call you when we do.” I haven’t had a call.

What work did you do at Primark?

If some clothes were on the floor, I’d pick them up. In the children’s section I’d fold clothes, and [arrange] shoes and sandals sometimes. Sometimes I’d bring new clothes downstairs from the storeroom.

Is this the same kind of work that some paid staff do?

Yes, the same.

Were there other people volunteering too?

At Primark I knew one Pakistani woman and one Somali woman also on three days a week. When the placement finished other people came. Now I am looking for a job, but there are no jobs.

What do you think about these placements?

One thing is good and one thing is bad. Before, I had no experience and when I went there I learnt lots of things. Now, when I send my CV or get calls I have experience. But I was a volunteer for six months and wasn’t given a job or paid any money. They don’t pay lunch money, nothing.

What do you think should happen instead?

Pay money. Lunchtime money and money for work. When volunteer is finished, they should give the job.

Health and safety concerns

I wanted to give an account of my work placement, as this is forced on people who have no option but to do this or lose their benefit. This is the only source of income that I have (as is the situation with others on benefit). I am happy for this to be used as case study for health and safety procedure. Names have been changed.

My placement was for a month at the place that I worked. I worked for 30 hours a week (I was paid via Flexible New Deal at £67.50 a week, that translates to being paid £2.19 an hour). The work was physical. Looking for work when physically exhausted was hard and often too difficult to do. I did work for a charity and the land I worked was I think owned by the charity.

Some health and safety procedures were explained by the person supervising me on the placement (Marion). Kat (Flexible New Deal provider supervisor) asked if I had work boots, which I said I didn’t, but that I had some regular boots.

I wore these boots, which had been ok-ed by Kat. When doing manual work I trod on a plank of wood and got a nail stuck in my foot. There was no supervisor available, and I was working away from the main site. I stayed to the end of the day and treated it when I got home. I felt unable to say anything about health and safety due to my fear of losing benefits.

No one from the Flexible New Deal provider supervised whilst I was there.

Before I went on the placement I did tell the Job Centre I was going on placement.

When explaining how the placement operates the Job Centre was confused whilst signing back on to Job Seekers Allowance. This was not the reason that my benefits were delayed, as it was explained to me by the Housing Benefit staff. I signed an agreement with the Job Centre tell them if I was doing any work paid or unpaid. This could be why they were confused about the system (which has been in place for over a year). My housing benefit was delayed by about 3-5 days whilst going onto the placement and then after when going off the placement, (so was delayed in two months) my Job Seekers Allowance was not affected.

via boycottworkfare.org