Anti-workfare week of action hailed a success – Boycott Workfare summing up – July 2012

Report from Boycott Workfare: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1352

Protests against workfare took place on 7-14 July across the UK in a week of action called by the Boycott Workfare network to escalate the campaign against forced unpaid work.

Another hugely successful and diverse week of action across the UK, saw actions in over twenty locations across the UK, hundreds of people step up the pressure with phone calls and online action, and even an Early Day Motion tabled in Parliament.

Holland & Barrett pulled out of workfare the day before its stores were to see more protests across the UK. The week ended as it began with yet another big high street name wavering in its use of workfare. Savers have said that they will use the people currently doing workfare until their placements expire, but it will not be taking on any new workfare workers, until it has spoken to ministers about concerns that if people refuse to they will have their benefits stopped.

Let’s hope they don’t buy the government’s line that the placements on the Work Experience scheme are now voluntary. Sanctions have only been temporarily suspended. People are still told that they risk losing benefits if they do not go on the scheme, and people who refuse are threatened with a mandatory scheme instead. So we will be keeping an eye on Savers. They wouldn’t be the first organisation to publicly claim that they have pulled out of workfare, only to sneak it back in. Which takes us to Scope.

Sadly, Scope continues to use workfare and has been cited by the government to help it promote its Mandatory Work Activity Scheme. You may like to contact Scope about this and what appear to be its attempts to mislead people over the scheme and the Boycott Workfare campaign. We call on all those charities still involved to pull out. Workfare is failing and is hugely unpopular with the general public. By supporting the Work Programme you are linking your organisation to a deeply unpopular policy which undermines social justice.

It’s not just our campaign that is making workfare wobble. Every time figures are published, the Work Programme is exposed as failing. So much so that banks are now refusing to lend to workfare profiteers. It’s just too risky. A4E sub-contractor Eco Actif suddenly collapsed on Friday morning when it ran out of money.

Boycott Workfare thanks all those people and organisations who took part in and supported the week of action. To our new friends we say welcome. This campaign is what you make it, it’s your campaign, its achievements are your achievements.

Hundreds of people took action and thousands more now know about the campaign. So we’ve been inundated with people’s reports of where they have been sent to do workfare. Here are the latest organisations to be named and shamed through our whistle-blowing form: Currys, Bournemouth Borough Council, Marks & Spencer, Days Hotel, Ty Hafan charity shop, ISS Facilities, PKD Sporting Solutions Ltd, The Big Bargain Company, Butlins, Durham County Council, Grow Up

And one person managed to photograph a list from their job centre including: Stead & Simpson, Travis Perkins, Peacocks, Modern Classics, and Music4Children.

There’s more to do, this campaign is making a real difference, so take action with us to help it win!

This week, after the national week of action, activists in Nottingham handed out anti-workfare leaflets at local Job Centres. Two leafletting sessions were drowned out by the rain during the week of action!

Holland & Barrett pull out of workfare – Boycott Workfare week of action 7th-14th July 2012

Before it even starts, the Boycott Workfare ‘Week of Action’ has had a major success: Holland & Barrett who have been using workfare on a huge scale (1100 placements a year amongst a workforce of 3500) have said 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.”
More info:
H&B pull out – http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1265
Workfare facts – http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?page_id=663
Week of action 7th-14th July 2012: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1258
Companies involved with workfare: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=1284. See also: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?page_id=16

‘Too much of this sort of thing’ – Atos Two pamphlet now available in print and online

In September 2011 two Nottingham residents, a retired paediatric nurse and
a wheelchair user, were arrested at the local Atos ‘Healthcare’ assessment
centre.

This pamphlet looks into the wider context of their case. It also offers
practical suggestions for persons who need to claim disability benefits &
support and/or want to engage in direct action.

FREE DOWNLOAD (pdf) http://nottingham.indymedia.org/zines/2548
PRINTED COPIES available (suggested donation £1), please email
nottsdefence [at] riseup.net

FEATURED CONTENTS

Articles:

    Open letter to the BMJ and RCN
    Devastating Welfare?
    Professor Harrington, independently review my crippled arse!

Appendices:

    On claiming disability benefits/support
    From ESA claim to Atos assessment
    No Comment!
    How to support those in trouble
    Further reading

INTRODUCTION

In September 2011, two Nottingham residents, a retired paediatric nurse
and a wheelchair user, were arrested following a peaceful protest at the
local offices of Atos ‘Healthcare’. Dubbed the ‘Atos Two’, they were
subsequently charged with aggravated trespass.

Faced with an impressive solidarity campaign and having a pathetically
weak case, Atos and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) backed down in
January 2012. According to the CPS the case was ‘discontinued’ because the
‘complainant no longer support[ed] the prosecution’. It remains unknown
whether this change of mind was due to Atos’ own concerns of further bad
publicity and/or whether the CPS advised the ‘complainant’ to back off
before both company and prosecutors risked humiliation in court.

In any case it is without question that the remarkable acts of solidarity
with the ‘Atos Two’ by hundreds of supporters did make a significant
impact. The public pressure mounting up even before the trial had started
will have made an impression, demonstrating the importance of such
practical acts of solidarity and the potential of mutual aid and support.

Atos ‘Healthcare’, a division of the international IT giant Atos S.A., has
in recent years been the target of numerous protests. The company plays a
crucial role in the government’s attack on people with disabilities as it
administers a phoney ‘medical’ assessment, which is the core element of
the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

The WCA was originally brought forward by a Labour government and has
since been endorsed by the ConDems. It was specifically designed by the
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to force people claiming Incapacity
Benefit (IB) or trying to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
onto Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), regardless of claimants’ physical and/or
psychological issues. Apart from the WCA being structurally biased against
claimants, Atos’ implementation of the ‘face-to-face’ assessments quickly
resulted in the company becoming infamous and feared amongst people in
need of disability benefits.

As Atos is such a particularly disgusting part of the modern British
welfare system, there have been a number of protests against the company’s
offices all over the country. The protest in Nottingham was not unusual in
having been not only entirely peaceful, but also extremely (one might even
say far too) polite.

The rather ham-fisted reaction by the local police, better known for their
frequent blunders and blatant incompetence rather than a particular urge
to repress peaceful protests, and the CPS’s decision to go ahead with the
ridiculous charges, were widely received with astonishment. The
politically motivated prosecution of the ‘Atos Two’ may even indicate a
change in the attitude of the local force and the CPS towards
demonstrations. This perspective was only underlined by one copper’s
comment, stating on the day of the arrests that ‘there’s been too much of
this sort of thing going on and we’ve been told to crack down on it.’

This case of political policing, aimed to intimidate protesters and deter
further acts of direct action, is also not an isolated one. At the close
of a relatively lively year 2011, in which Nottingham saw many protests
and acts of direct action, there were a number of arrests of Uncut
activists, whilst critical journalists faced harassment by the police
(with officers unlawfully confiscating tapes after an arrest had been
filmed).

Whether or not these cases really mark the beginning of a wider crackdown
on local protests, they exemplify that any attempts of reaching out to the
police will always be futile. Even an apparently sympathetic copper
fulfils a distinct role in society; she/he is being paid to enforce the
state’s monopoly of violence and to defend the property and production
relations. In order to do so they are trained and willing to follow orders
(otherwise they would not be coppers). No matter how much some people try
and get them on board because ‘they are facing cuts too’, that will never
ever stop a cop from going after you and/or your friends if they are
ordered to do so.

The relatively high number of protests in Nottingham and the described
acts of repression need to be seen in connection with the wider upsurge in
direct action throughout Britain since mid-2010 and the attempts to quell
it. Although actions deemed violent by the laws of the propertied have
been relatively rare exceptions, any form of protesting is only tolerated
until a certain line of annoyance is crossed. Therefore even those taking
part in rather fluffy actions are increasingly running the risk of being
harassed, assaulted and arrested in an attempt by police and the justice
system to deter any further direct action.

The offence of aggravated trespass is frequently used to criminalise
protesters. One high profile example is the on-going case of those
prosecuted for the occupation of Fortnum & Mason (F&M), Her Royal
Highness’ sandwich and fizzy pop provider, in March 2011. The offence of
aggravated trespass was invented in the 1990s in response to the successes
of hunt saboteurs and road protesters and has since frequently been
modified to allow it to be used ever more widely.

Offences like aggravated trespass or for example obstruction are handy
tools for law enforcers as their relative vagueness allows them in many
cases to find a judge willing to convict people who have (allegedly) been
involved in very peaceful protests (as in the case of the F&M occupiers).
And even if a conviction is unattainable, arresting and repeatedly bailing
people is a simple but effective tool for gathering intelligence and
keeping tabs on people, often hindering them from engaging in further
direct action for months at a time.

Everyone engaging in any form of direct action, however peaceful and
polite, must be aware of, and vigilant against, the possibility of
repression. Those engaging in more edgy actions must be even more prepared
that the police and justice system will do what they can to go after them.
Even quite harmless acts can get you imprisoned, as despite rising prison
populations, people are being sent down for using joke shop smoke bombs on
demonstrations.

With this pamphlet we want to offer practical advice to people who want to
engage in direct action and/or need to claim disability benefits/support
from the welfare system. We also look into the wider political context of
the case of the ‘Atos Two’ by providing articles regarding the demise of
the welfare system in general and the WCA in particular.

There are numerous groups and individuals working hard to resist the
attacks on the welfare system as well as acts of repression. Instead of
trying yet again to reinvent the wheel, we have drawn heavily on some of
their excellent materials written over the years. We would like to thank
everyone for their vital work, which provides such essential support for
so many people.

The first text in this pamphlet is a slightly abbreviated and edited
reprint of an Open Letter initiated by WinVisible with a number of other
campaigning groups, originally published in 2011. It poignantly summarises
the case against Atos, for example by highlighting some of the many cases
in which being dragged through a WCA has directly or indirectly caused the
claimant’s death.

The article Devastating Welfare? discusses the wider context of the
current attacks on the welfare system, providing some historical
perspectives as well as outlining some of the dilemmas facing those
resisting these attacks.

Subsequently the article …review my crippled arse! is looking into the
legitimisation of the WCA. It outlines and criticises some of the
underlying assumptions and the interpretation of evidence in the so-called
independent reviews of the WCA, which (although initially perceived with
some hope) turn out to be nothing but deferential whitewash for the
policy.

A number of appendices offer some practical suggestions for people who
need to claim disability benefits/support and/or want to engage in direct
action. These passages draw on excellent materials originally published by
various groups, for example the Black Triangle Campaign or the Legal
Defence and Monitoring Group (LDMG). General advice on disabled persons’
dealings with the welfare system is followed by suggestions for those
facing an ESA claim and an Atos ‘face-to-face’ assessment. Finally two
appendices provide the reader with information on how to protect
themselves and others from the fallout of resistance, offering advice on
what (not) to do if you end up getting arrested and some ideas how to
support others if they become subject to repression.

Anti-workfare demonstrations in Nottingham on Saturday 3rd March 2012 – part of National Day of Action

National Day of Action Against Workfare (March 3rd)

Joint Notts Uncut/Notts TUC Workfare Action as advertised on Nottingham Indymedia: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2429

Saturday 3rd March 2012. Starting 12:00 noon outside Wilkinsons, Parliament Street (across road from Victoria Centre), Nottingham.

See also: Boycott Workfare Leaflet

In solidarity with Liverpool Uncut’s action against workfare on Saturday 3rd March, Boycott Workfare has called a national day of action against workfare.

So many high street stores are involved in taking on forced unpaid labour that there is plenty of choice – Tescos, Asda, Holland & Barrett, Primark, HMV, and Topshop to name but a few.

Workfare means that those who need welfare are forced into unpaid work for multi-million pound companies. Instead of a living wage, they receive only JSA – a tiny £53 a week for the under-25s – far below minimum wage.

Workfare means those in paid positions may see their jobs replaced by this unpaid labour. Why would a company pay for people to do these jobs when they can get free labour from the Job Centre?

We can put a stop to this forced unpaid labour – Waterstones, Sainsburys and TK Maxx have all recently announced that they would no longer take unpaid placements – the other companies just need a bit more encouragement to stop this exploitation.

We demand an end to this exploitation and call for welfare rights and living wages for all!
If you continue to exploit us we WILL shut you down!

In conjunction with Notts Trades Council.

Contact email: nottsuncut@gmail.com

More background information

The government has budged a tiny bit on workfare by claiming to withdraw the sanctions from its Work Experience scheme. This is a direct result of the enormous public pressure that has been put on companies who have been profiting from workfare.

But this is not the end of workfare and therefore we must keep the pressure up. That is why we will be taking to the streets this Saturday. Work Experience is just 1 of 5 workfare schemes. The Work Programme is another one of these schemes in which job seekers will be forced to work unpaid in high street stores, including well known charities, up and down the country. Some of these stores that may be worth a visit include – Wilkinsons, Savers, Asda, Pizza Hut, British Heart Foundation, Barnardos, Holiday Inn, Poundstretcher The Work Programme is a particularly disturbing form of workfare – not only can job seekers be forced to work unpaid for 6 whole months, but most shockingly, disabled people can be forced to work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time.

If you cannot make it to your local high street (or there is not an action near you) then you can follow the link to the companies’ online complaints page to raise issues about the exploitation that they profit from. You can also target the usual suspects (Tescos, Poundland, McDonalds, Holland and Barret, WH Smiths) who are still taking part in the Work Experience scheme and may well be involved in others. And then there are the companies who have only suspended involvement: Scope, Matalan, Argos, Superdrug. The Work Experience scheme is still a cause of concern. As the government press release made clear, there are still sanctions involved in this scheme and therefore there is still the element of compulsion. George Osborne has stated “Young people who don’t engage with this offer [of work experience] will be considered for mandatory work activity” where severe benefit sanctions (starting at 3 months!) can be imposed. With the Work Experience programme still being linked to sanctions directly and indirectly, and still remaining unpaid, we suggest pressure is put on companies to withdraw their support and to offer real paid jobs!

Here are some forms of action that will be happening up and down the country that you may like to try out: local groups are planning to do tours of the companies involved, set up stalls to make people aware of their rights on the various programmes (see Boycott Workfare site for materials), go into stores and ask managers to withdraw support or simply shut the stores down. Teach-ins and mic-checks are also fun activities you might want to include.

Nottingham protest against ATOS Healthcare and police repression in Hockley – Friday 3rd February 2012

Press Release from Nottingham Defence Campaign

PROTEST AGAINST ATOS & POLICE REPRESSION IN HOCKLEY

Activists have called to a protest against the conduct of Atos ‘Healthcare’ and what they describe as ‘police repression’ coming Friday (3rd February 2012).

In September 2011, two Nottingham residents, a retired paediatric nurse and a wheelchair user were arrested following a peaceful protest at the local offices of Atos ‘Healthcare’. Faced with an impressive solidarity campaign and apparently worried that their case had no chance of holding up in court, the CPS and Atos backed down. The charges of aggravated trespass were dropped.

The case of the ‘Atos Two’ was followed by arrests of Notts Uncut activists just before Christmas and the confiscation of a photography student’s tapes after he filmed an arrest.

Supporters of the arrestees have described these events as worrying signs that the local force is changing its attitude towards peaceful protesters. This seems to have been confirmed by a police officers’ remark who commented on the arrest of the ‘Atos Two’ by stating that there “had been too much of this sort of thing and we were told to crack down on it”.

Jamie Kennedy from the Nottingham Defense Campaign said: “The police have wasted time and resources on ridiculous charges. Meanwhile, Atos’ biased and abusive conduct against benefit claimants remains unchanged. They might have backed off from going after the Atos Two but we will certainly not let them off the hook!”

Protesters will gather on Friday 3rd February 2012 from 12.30pm at the junction of Carlton Street and Heathcote Street, Hockley, Nottingham; see http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2335

Contacts

Nottingham Defence Campaign
Tel: 07758867343
Email: nottsdefence@riseup.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NottsDefence
Website: http://network23.org/nottsdefence

Notes for editors

1) Regarding the original protest against Atos see: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2053
2) Regarding the charges against the ‘Atos Two’ see: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2168
3) Regarding the solidarity campaign for the ‘Atos Two’ see: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/2207
4) Regarding the arrests of Notts Uncut activists see: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/2276
5) Regarding the harassment of student photographer see: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/2238
6) A Statement of Support for the Atos Two has been signed by more than a hundred persons and organisations, including Welfare Rights Groups, Councillors and John McDonnell MP: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2195
7) Atos Healthcare was selected by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to administer the Work Capability Assessments (WCA).
Campaigners claim that WCA are part of a deliberate policy by the coalition government designed to force as many people as possible off disability benefits regardless of their physical and/or psychological abilities.
Critics of Atos Healthcare point to the high number of successful appeals against decisions by the company. A report by BBC Inside Out East found that more than one third of appeals were successful: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15681502
Furthermore the expertise and conduct of the so called ‘healthcare professionals’ undertaking the assessments has been severely questioned by campaigners. In August it emerged that twelve doctors employed by the company were being investigated by the General Medical Council over allegations of improper conduct: http://gu.com/p/3x7jd

Happy New Year from Notts SOS – January 2012 meetings and events

Happy new year from Notts SOS. With the festive break behind us, things are now getting started again. We’ll first be meeting this evening (Monday 9th January) then two weeks after that. There will also be another Notts Uncut demo on Saturday and a meeting about the policing of protest in Nottingham. Keep an eye on our website for updates.

NOTTS SOS MEETINGS

We meet every two weeks which means that the next meetings are Monday 9th January and Monday 23rd January.

As ever, we meet at 7.30pm at the YMCA International Community Centre, Mansfield Road. Meetings are usually finished before 9pm and there’s often an opportunity to carry on any discussion informally in the pub afterwards. Please do come along and get involved.

OCCUPY NOTTINGHAM

The occupation in the Market Square has now been in situ for almost 3 months, an astonishing success. However, the city council is now making noises about trying to evict the occupiers by the end of the month. Details are vague at the moment, but keep an eye on the occupations’ Twitter/Facebook pages for more news.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/occupynotts
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/occupy.nottingham

NOTTS UNCUT

Notts Uncut will be out and about again in 2012, visiting tax dodging companies in Nottingham on Saturday 14th January. They’re keen to build on the success of 2011 and show that they are not intimidated by the heavy-handed policing which they experienced during their “Christmas Special” protest in December.

Notts Uncut will be meeting outside Boots, Upper Parliament Street at 12 noon.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottssos
Website: http://www.nottsuncut.co.uk
Email: nottsuncutaction [at] gmail.com

RIGHT TO PROTEST MEETING

Following the arrests at the Notts Uncut “Christmas Special” and in light of the continuing prosecution of the “Atos Two” there is a need for people in Nottingham to get together to work out how we can effectively resist political policing.

To this end the Nottingham Defence Campaign are inviting people to an open meeting at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone St, NG7 6HX, at 2pm on Saturday 14th January to discuss we want to respond. The meeting will be relatively informal and the agenda can be shaped by the specific concerns of attendees, but likely points of discussion include legal observing and support, court solidarity, further protests and wider publicity.

Event details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2298

Please come along or, if you can’t make it, spread the word.

Website: https://network23.org/
Indy.im: https://indy.im/nottsdefence
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottsdefence


Notts Save Our Services
Web: http://www.nottssos.org.uk
Twitter: @nottssos

Message about the Atos Two from Notts Defence Campaign – Trial dates & protests in February 2012

Hello,

You may already be aware of the case against the ‘Atos Two’ (for links to Indymedia coverage please see below).

Following a protest at Atos “Healthcare” in Nottingham on September 30th a retired paediatric nurse and a wheelchair user were arrested and charged with aggravated trespass.

Since the arrest there have been amazing acts of solidarity by many people who e.g. send messages, signed a statement of support, spread the word, came to a solidarity demo outside the court etc.

Massive thanks to everyone!

After pleading not guilty on November 25th, the trial has been set for February 27th and 28th 2012 at Nottingham Magistrates Court.

There will be a solidarity demonstration outside Nottingham Magistrates Court on Monday February 27th from 9am. http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2247

There will be a demonstration in Nottingham against Atos, the attacks on the welfare system and the criminalisation of protests on Friday February 3rd 12.30pm. Meet at the crossroads Carlton Street; Broad Street; Stoney Street (near Ice Nine). The demo route will be fully accessible though slightly hilly (this is Nottingham after all). The route will be less than one kilometre. http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2247

We are also planning a meeting/workshops to be held in Nottingham on the weekend before the trial (Saturday February 25th) to discuss political policing as well as attacks on benefit claimants. Further details to be announced asap.

We are looking for persons who would like to participate in planning this event. If you are interested in planning/attending/participating please contact nottsdefence@riseup.net

People are of course welcome to stay over for the trial!

We are also looking into possibilities for expert witnesses (e.g. campaigners, health workers) giving evidence at the trial itself. If you know persons who might be willing to give evidence regarding Atos in court, please contact nottsdefence@riseup.net If someone would be up for this please get in touch soon as the solicitor needs to know asap (essentially before X-Mas).

Further information/updates to be announced asap. Please circulate this message widely.

Thanks a lot.

Best wishes Notts Defence ———- Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/nottsdefence

Indymedia coverage re ‘Atos Two’

Re original protest and the charges http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2168 Re events at the Magistrates Court http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2207 The statement of support (to sign please email nottsdefence@riseup.net) http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2195

Related articles

ATOS 2 defiant and plead not guilty to aggravated trespass – much support at courts in Nottingham

On Friday 25 November 2011 the “Atos Two” who were arrested during a protest at the ATOS Healthcare medical examination centre on Stoney Street in were due in Nottingham Magistrates Court. Bailed for 9.45am a solidarity demo had been called outside at 9.30am which was very well supported (see photo). There is already national awareness of the action taken by the authorities over this protest. ATOS (or SEMA in Scotland) has been the subject of protests all over the UK for its role in the government’s attack on disabled and ill benefits claimants. The ATOS Two trial will be held from Monday 27th February 2012.

Full story and more photos: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2202

Press release: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2206

More about benefits from Notts SOS: https://nottssos.org.uk/tag/benefits/

Notttingham’s ‘Atos Two’ Charged

Two Nottingham residents, a pensioner and a wheelchair user, have been charged with aggravated trespass. The pair, dubbed the “Atos Two” by supporters, were arrested following a peaceful protest of the examination cente of Atos “Healthcare” on Stoney Street on September 30th.

Full story and forthcoming events on Notts Indymedia: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/2168

More on ATOS and benefits on Notts SOS: https://nottssos.org.uk/tag/benefits/

Hardest Hit demonstration in Nottingham City Centre attracts hundreds, while Market Square occupation continues

On Saturday 22 October 2011 hundreds of people gathered in Market Square, Nottingham, to listen to speeches and offer support to the many disabled people being ‘hardest hit’ by Government policies of cuts to services and welfare.
Full story and pictures: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/2113

Occupy Nottingham also continues in the Market Square taking a stand against the causes and effects of the capitalist crisis, now in its 10th day having moved towards the square’s water feature: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/2116

Join the resistance!!

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