The scheme offers ‘work experience’ at an entry level position in local companies – for up to eight weeks at a time – to young people who are on the dole. Minister for Employment and Learning Stephen Farry claims that the programme “helps improve their prospects of gaining and sustaining employment”. The reality is that the work people have to carry out under the scheme has little real value in gaining employment. In fact, only 30% of young people involved in Steps to Work last year actually moved on to employment with the majority going back on to the dole. These schemes will contribute to even higher numbers of young people on the dole, as big businesses will use the slave labour schemes to reduce the amount of waged workers in their employment in favour of subsided workers on Steps to Work.
Whilst young people feel that they are left with no choice but to accept a poverty wage of £67 a week in benefit and £15.31 for their “work experience” – the companies involved in the scheme are rolling in money. McDonalds – a major participant in the scheme – made over one billion pounds profit in their UK operation alone last year, yet they do not have to pay a penny to any of their workers on the scheme, despite clearly being able to afford it. The companies administering these slave-labour schemes are making huge profit out of other people’s misery too.
But young people can fight back! In Britain, the ConDem government introduced an even more draconian attack on young unemployed people – Workfare. Under this scheme, young people get paid NOTHING except their benefits, despite working full-time hours. Dropping out could mean being kicked off of the dole!
Pickets and demonstrations at Tesco – one of the main participants – across Britain, led by Youth Fight for Jobs and Education (YFJE), forced the firm to make significant concessions. They now pay minimum wage to those on Workfare. Protests forced nearly a dozen companies out of the scheme entirely, including Sainsbury and Waterstones. The ConDem government faced a humiliating climb-down when they had to make participation in the scheme non-compulsory. A similar campaign can defeat Steps to Work!
YFJE has been leading the fight against Workfare, Steps to Work and other slave labour work schemes in the North and across Britain. In Belfast, our “Name and Shame Tour” in March toured just some the businesses in Belfast exploiting young people on the dole, including Tesco, Primark, Topshop, McDonald’s and Poundland. We left bosses fuming as we exposed their greedy profiteering and got a great response from workers and the general public.
We want to build a mass campaign of young people to fight back against the attacks on our education, against low-pay, crap jobs and for a decent future.
If you want to get involved, contact
Neil on 07941841092 or
e-mail niyouthfightforjobs@gmail.com
and come along to our launch rally!
