AND PAPER ATTACKS GUARDIAN REPORTER SHIV MALIK FOR HIS BRILLIANT REPORTING ON THE ISSUE
Thousands of decent, law-abiding citizens have today been labelled ‘extremists’ and ‘militants’ in today’s Daily Mail for arguing that a day’s work deserves a day’s pay – and believing it is wrong that 34,000 people have been pushed into working for nothing for up to eight weeks in supermarkets discount stores across the country, as part of the government’s ‘workfare’ scheme.
The Mail on Sunday also launched an astonishing attack on Shiv Malik, the hugely popular Guardian reporter who has been tirelessly exposing the flaws and failings of the government’s Work Programme, in particular the elements that force young people to work for nothing in so-called ‘work experience placements’. The paper criticised the “blanket, supportive coverage of the Right to Work’s campaigns, with many pieces written by Left-wing activist Shiv Malik.”
The MoS also declared that Shiv has been “a controversial figure for more than a decade,” which will certainly make his friends laugh and could even make it onto his headstone. As evidence of this, they have dug up something dumb he wrote about 9/11 ten years ago (when he was 20), a sticky situation he got into protecting a source for a story, and the fact he got punched in the face during the tuition fees protests. Relentlessly earnest, spectacle-wearing Shiv is a good friend of Graduate Fog’s and we can exclusively reveal that he is no anarchist.
Back to the matter of us all being extremists and militants. Today’s Daily Mail says:
“Though only a tiny cabal of extremists appear to be leading the campaign to brand work experience ‘slave labour’, several companies have been sufficiently rattled to announce that they are reviewing their involvement.”
And it quotes Tory MP Philip Davies saying he is disappointed that those dropping out of the scheme had “caved into pressure from a small band of hard-Left militants.” The paper also claims that the Socialist Workers Party is to blame for the bulk of the online outcry, saying:
“…the scheme has been thrown into turmoil by protests led by a campaign group called Right to Work, which ministers say is nothing more than a front organisation for the hard-Left Socialist Workers Party. The SWP advocates the overthrow of capitalism via a Marxist revolution.”
Graduate Fog has never had any contact with the Socialist Workers Party – and does not consider itself an extremist, a militant or a Marxist for asking that the government abides by the law of the land when setting up schemes to try and ease youth unemployment (although being part of a ‘cabal’ does sound kind of fun).
We are one of the many thousands of totally normal, right-thinking members of society who are asking that employers are not given free rein to exploit young, desperate jobseekers for free labour, whatever the economic climate and however keen politicians are to shift them from the ‘unemployed’ list into the ‘in training’ list, as it looks a bit less appalling when the monthly figures are announced.
As we have already seen from the spread of privately-arranged unpaid internships in the last few years, unpaid work solves nothing at all for jobseekers. In fact, it it just makes things worse. While it may look like a quick fix, in the long-term it only serves to move paid work even further out of reach for young jobseekers. It is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Our message to the goverment is this. Yes, we have a problem with welfare dependency – and yes, we have a problem with youth unemployment. But rolling out a large-scale programme encouraging unpaid work is the solution to neither – and it sends the distorted and damaging message to young people that their labour is worthless, which we all know it isn’t. Find another way.
*JOIN OUR CABAL OF TOTALLY NORMAL PEOPLE!
Are you part of the Socialist Workers Party, a hard-Left militant – or a member of a cabal of extremists? Or are you just a decent, ordinary person who thinks that people should be paid for the work that they do? What do you make of the Daily Mail’s coverage of this scandal?
Great article, but just to note that, contrary to what’s being said ministers, the programme is for everyone of all ages, not just young people. and that also include the disabled and terminally ill.
Thanks Edward – you’re right of course – we just tend to play up the young jobseekers’ angle on this website, as that’s who our readers are.
I think we’ve reached the tipping point on unpaid work (whether internships or workfare)- encouraging but don’t relax yet!
It’s disconcerting that big business has been so much more responsive to public opinion than the government.
we just tend to play up the young jobseekers’ angle on this website
Graduates come in all age groups.
@CareersPartnershipUK I certainly hope so! I’m definitely having more moments of feeling sure we’re going to win this battle soon…
@Derrick You’re right, people do graduate at all ages, but the majority are young (21-22) so that’s the agegroup I write for. It is far easier to write with one age in mind than try to write for everyone. I hope older grads won’t be offended, they are still very welcome to visit and comment on the site – but I’m going to continue to write with my core readership in mind.
***Graduates come in all age groups.***
Indeed they do.
I just think it’s important that the public is aware of the fact that no matter how much experience you have, if you’re claiming Jobseekers Allowance, you could be made to participate in Workfare. Ministers are using the angle that ‘young people need experience to get a foothold in the job market’ which sounds reasonable to some people, but when you hear that people in their 50s have been sent to stack shelves in Tesco, then it’s obvious that this scheme has nothing to do with being a more ‘marketable’ employee, and everything to do with providing free labour, whilst at the same time, demonising/punishing those unlucky enough to not have a job, for being a ‘burden on the state’.
@Edward
That’s a good point – thanks – I hadn’t thought of it like that…
The net effects of some of the various reforms being pushed through by this Government could see will certainly spark a new class war at the very minimum, which is not progress in this country. At its worst it will make the scenario possible where we are could see terminally ill patients spending their final months compelled to work in supermarkets and fast food outlets or have their benefits removed. In Britain in 2012. This Government can spin and spin this ‘militant’ story as much as they like but this is not joined up thinking by this Government. Many people will react to stop it when they consider this prospect. Businesses and retailers who support this Government through these changes are very obvious targets for any normal person who feels strongly about the subject. With creeping up to 3 million people unemployed alone who are wondering what this Government will do to them next, and many more disabled and ill with their families wishing to protect them, I think it’s likely that before long the entire nation will rise up and become ‘militants’.
‘It is an excellent policy. It exploits no one.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2106888/Jobs-welfare-BBC-went-battle-Socialist-Workers.html#ixzz1naokcj6y
I can’t stand journalists who write something knowing it is complete twaddle. This is a shocking article. I was appalled last week that they completely brushed over the issue about unpaid internships.
@Derrick – constructive criticism course anyone?
The class issue is actually a very relevant point. The graduates (in particular, though obviously it includes others) that are being forced to be involved in the work programme are those whose parents can’t support them while they do unpaid internships. Iain Duncan Smith can call us job snobs all he likes but what this smacks of is how dare we get ideas above our station and have aspirations for jobs which we weren’t born in the right social status to get.
Curiously, I never considered that either the Mail on Sunday or Daily Mail would ever propose the notion that socialising a Slave Based Working Culture would be acceptable in a free market, capitalist society.
After all, if any unemployed graduate (not necessarily the 18-21 year old, but also older than 30), are assigned to the Work Programme, for example, then they could be assigned to Mandatory Work Experience which would require them to work for an employer for nothing – unfortunately, and in doing so, the employer not only saves themselves the onerous burden to pay salary, tax, national insurance (about £20K-£30K per annum per job), but the candidate has to be supported by the State (about £15K per annum per job), and they end up occupying a job which could easily be filled by someone who is unemployed (another £15K per annum per candidate cost).
So, since the State ends up subsidising a Slave Based Working Culture, perhaps the Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail are happy to accept that each slave incurrs a cost by the State of about £50K-£60K per annum per candidate.
@Siobhan Spot on. Graduates with parents who can support them won’t need to sign on, therefore they’ll be spared all of this. They won’t have to face the accusations of snobbery or elitism or be told they’re nothing more than lazy scroungers. They’ll then be free to take unpaid internships in their chosen career, which ultimately makes things harder for people who aren’t able to work for free. When the jobs come up, they’ll be filled by people who were lucky enough to be born into prosperity as they’re the ones with the freedom to get the relevant experience.
Yes… the more and more you think about it, it was this Government who took the Great out of Britain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo9_aBj1Z84
Are we talking about this decade or the 80s? Who knows?!
As someone with very middle views on internships, I find a lot of people involved in the internship debate quite extreme (on both sides!)… Finger pointing at its finest, I’d say.
Partial victory just announced! The threat of benefit sanctions have now been removed from “voluntary” workfare placements – such as the one done by Cait Reilly.
This really is a major victory because it means that all “voluntary” placements will have to be higher quality, career-relevant ones (to stop “clients” voting with their feet) and / or be very likely to lead to employment.
Nothing’s been said about the “mandatory” programme. Realistically, though, can you see the big brand companies wanting to be associated in the public mind with forced labour, especially as some of those dragooned into placements will be terminally ill?
These are the same techniques you see in US politics. Instead of having a reasoned debate about specifics Grayling and his colleagues are misrepresenting the arguments (e.g. workfare may lead to less job creation, some of the placements may be completely irrelevant, there is no time to job hunt etc) in favour of saying this is a veiled attack on business/capitalism.
One of the reasons many people were annoyed was because they saw this scheme as taxpayer funded money being used to increase the profit margins of Tesco et al while possibly preventing more jobs from being created.
Workfare is a good idea! Even temporary low paid work is better than being continuously unemployed for a long time. Many who have been made unemployed during the recession welcome the chance to do a days work as they feel ashamed claiming for benefit’s as they are used to being in work and this scheme properly managed can be a great aid to people getting their feeling of self respect back.
Sometimes I just cannot understand how people can be so against such a scheme don’t they understand that there are many people that believe hard work is a virtue?
Are you insane Rhin?
People might feel ashamed but that’s because our society and this Government try to teach others that people on benefits are scum, which is not true.
If I can bring your attention to this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/05/call-inquiry-jobseekers-jubilee-stewards , I think you will see workfare only benefits the private company. Nobody should work for free, it’s a simple fact. I don’t see what self-respect the people in this article will gain and nor will others forced to work a full time job yet still live on 56 – 71 pounds a week.
Rhin, I don’t think anyone here objects to temporary low-paid work. What we object to is temporary work for no pay while still claiming benefits – I don’t see how that benefits anyone besides the company “employing” these people, and the statistics about how effective this programme is are pretty clear about it being a very ineffective way to get people back into work. In this situation, a company gets to cut its costs by not paying wages to these people and, due to their being placed in very basic positions, incurs minimal training costs. Meanwhile, the person on placement learns next to no useful skills and more often than not gets no offer of a paid job afterwards, as the company simply replaces him/her with another person on workfare placement. This entire scheme is subsidised by the taxpayer, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to criticise it for being a completely misguided and ultimately wasteful attempt at getting people back to work.
@Rhin – Workfare is set up to be exploitative. There are hundreds of ways in which the government could be supporting unemployed people. If they genuinely can’t create the jobs, they could offer training, courses or meaningful voluntary placements (which are NOT the same as workfare, as voluntary placements should not be coercive or replacements for paid work).
The fact is, they’d much rather make people feel that they’re not worth even a minimum wage dead-end job by forcing jobseekers to work for free in difficult roles which have NOTHING to do with their skills or chosen career. Why? Because it’s easier for them to brand us all jobsnobs and make us feel like we’re expecting too much than to admit that we have a problem. Workfare is never going to get good results – it doesn’t create jobs, it doesn’t create meaningful experiences and it causes a lot of harm (as recent reports have shown). Don’t be fooled by thinking it’s better to do Workfare than do nothing – Those are not the only options by a long shot!