No to Sanctions and Workfare
Demonstrate at High Riggs Jobcentre, by Tollcross, Edinburgh
11am – 1pm
Wed 29th April
High Riggs Jobcentre
Organised by Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty as part of the Week of Action co-ordinated through Boycott Workfare. Supported by Edinburgh Anarchist Federation, Greater Leith Against The Cuts, the Industrial Workers of the World, and Edinburgh Anti-Cuts Alliance
No workfare. No sanctions. Whoever wins we will resist!
As the general election campaign gets underway we are already seeing politicians calling for more of the same policies. More workfare. More sanctions. Yet we know that these policies have been a total disaster. This is why we are holding a week of action in the week before the election. We need your help to expose and challenge workfare and sanctions policies and the political lies that underpin them.
Workfare undermines paid jobs and wages and results in sanctions. It does nothing to improve the chances of people finding a job and exploits those forced to carry it out. Last year over half a million people had their benefits sanctioned. The number of benefit sanctions imposed by the DWP now exceeds the number of fines imposed by the courts. People are being left with nothing for up to three years. There is now overwhelming evidence of the harm being caused by sanctions. Sanctions are damaging the health of claimants and leading to hunger, homelessness and deaths.
WE ARE WINNING!
Your actions have already had a huge impact in challenging these policies. Dozens of organisations have withdrawn from the schemes following public pressure. Over 500 voluntary sector organisations have now signed the Keep Volunteering Voluntary agreement to say they oppose workfare and sanctions and will not be involved. 25 councils have also said they will boycott the schemes, including City of Edinburgh Council. All this means it is getting harder and harder for the government’s private providers to find workfare placements. Hundreds of placements have been cancelled and your actions have made a real difference.
In Scotland we have a real opportunity to help galvanise the widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo and spark direct action to make workfare and sanctions unworkable. The devolution of the Work Programme means we can demand the Scottish Government scrap all compulsion and sanctions tied to this disgusting workfare scheme. Through the Work Programme the DWP even sanctions sick and disabled claimants in the Employment and Support Allowance “work related activity group” who are unable to carry out so-called mandated activities.
If you would like to help distribute publicity in the run-up to the demo please get in touch – ecap@lists.riseup.net – also if you would like to help us leafleting jobcentres.
