Campaigners are claiming a major scalp in the fight against workfare after retailer Holland & Barrett announced they were pulling out of the scheme.
On hearing the news, Brighton Solidarity Federation tweeted "we've won an important battle against workfare, but the war is far from over." The announcement came just 24 hours before a planned national week of action against workfare organised by the Boycott Workfare Network. Holland & Barrett had strongly backed workfare, announcing that they were committed to taking 1,000 people on unpaid work schemes this year alone (out of a workforce of just 3,500).
However, since their April announcement at a workfare conference organised by Department for Work and Pensions Minister Chris Grayling, escalating protests have singled-out the firm with regular pickets across the UK turning away shoppers shocked at the firm's involvement in the scheme. Outraged customers have also been bombarding H&B's Twitter and Facebook accounts with complaints. The sustained pressure has forced a u-turn, with Holland & Barrett's official facebook page announcing late last night that: "the 60 people currently undertaking the work experience scheme will be the last to complete the eight week placement. After this time Holland & Barrett will not participate further in that scheme."
Holland & Barrett intend to replace unpaid work placements from the Job Center with a salaried apprentice scheme. The Solidarity Federation will keep a close eye on Holland & Barrett and meet any backsliding with renewed direct action, but for now we are celebrating a victory against unpaid work. As a revolutionary union initiative made up of workers and claimants, the Solidarity Federation sees workfare as an attack on all workers by undermining pay and conditions. For example, staff at Holland & Barrett told us that overtime was no longer available in some stores as it was being done by unpaid workfare labour instead.
We will now support the national week of action called by the Boycott Workfare Network against remaining workfare firms before meeting to discuss the next steps.
Solidarity Federation - Brighton Local (workfare working group)
Comments
Well done!
Well done!
Congrats on everyone's
Congrats on everyone's hardwork!
thanks those groups that held
thanks those groups that held pickets in places where SF do not have locals ! (Lincoln Underground Collective amongst others)
awesome, great work! nice to
awesome, great work! nice to see you guys got a bunch of mainstream press too that is generally favorable!
Great stuff. Lovely to see
Great stuff. Lovely to see SolFed's voice on mainstream media websites!
congratulations!!
congratulations!!
FULL GOOD STUFF
FULL GOOD STUFF
Fantastiic stuff comrades.
Fantastiic stuff comrades. Congrats to solfed for their part. Seems there's some good momentum amoungst radical (libertarian) workplace orientated groups in the UK (Sol-Fed & IWW).
Hope to see an IWA contingent at the IWW cleaners picket outside the John Lewis flagship shop. There'll be organised groups going in the morning at 8pm, 1pm lunch time and 5pm (times may change will confirm with strike oragnisers).
Mad props yo. For the win!
Mad props yo. For the win!
Congrats on your successful
Congrats on your successful attempt to get H&B to pull out of the workfarce programme. It is nothing more than a blatant exploitation of young people to maximise profits for the bosses, same old story, but the more companies that refuse to partake in this the better!
Congrats on your successful
Congrats on your successful attempt to get H&B to pull out of the workfarce programme. It is nothing more than a blatant exploitation of young people to maximise profits for the bosses, same old story, but the more companies that refuse to partake in this the better!