Adapted from Boycott Workfare:
Week of Action already a Success! Major Blow for Government as Holland & Barrett pull out of Workfare!
Before it even starts, the Week of Action has had a major success: Holland & Barrett who have been using workfare on a huge scale (1,100 placements a year amongst a workforce of 3,500)
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.”
Unable
to acknowledge people’s ethical concerns about them using an unpaid
workforce on a massive scale, they have made the hilarious claim that
the decision is due to the threat to customer and staff safety from our
peaceful protests planned this weekend! These follow regular pickets
called by Sol Fed who co-ordinated a national campaign against the
company’s involvement in workfare.
But
Holland & Barrett aren’t totally off the hook yet. They continue to
use the current 60 workfare placements until these finish. Their
announcement indicates that they intend to replace workfare with
apprentices, which would allow them to pay a wage of just £2.60 an hour,
far below the living wage.
Nevertheless, their announcement shows that our protests can push back workfare in the UK.
Holland & Barrett is just one of hundreds of businesses, public sector employers and charities
profiting from replacing paid work with workfare. Protests will
continue this week to target other brands still involved. These include
British Heart Foundation, who have boasted that they have at least one
workfare placement in every store, Argos, Superdrug, ShoeZone, Asda,
Tescos, Wilkinsons, The Works, the list goes on.
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