Workfare demo shuts Westminster Tesco

Right to Work and unemployed activists and supporters occupied Westminster Tesco on Saturday. Police issued warning over trespass and refused to answer why they weren’t arresting Tesco bosses for breaching minimum wage legislation. Defiant protesters demanded that Tesco withdraw immediately from all government schemes that force slave labour on the disabled and unemployed chanting: Tesco bosses hear us say, we won’t work if you won’t pay. And ‘first they stole our ema, now they want to steal our pay’.

Pic by Joseph O'Brien twitter.com/#!/Joe380

Pics:  http://www.demotix.com/news/1059580/workfare-protesters-close-tesco-westminster-london 
http://www.demotix.com/news/1059514/workfare-protesters-close-westminster-tesco-london

Some background and organising: http://www.boycottworkfare.org

The new social workhouse? Workfare, the labour market, prison
http://libcom.org/blog/new-social-workhouse-16022012

Supermarket giant Tesco must know no shame. As unemployment blights the lives of millions, Britain’s biggest private sector employer is taking on staff — for free.

This is part of the scandal of “workfare” — making people work unpaid or face being thrown off benefits.

Tesco reports that over the past four months some 1,400 people have worked for them without pay. Only 300 got a job with the company.

The Tory government is slashing jobs and then punishing the jobless. And to add insult to injury, they are forcing people to work for free to boost profits for big business.

Activists promised that the campaign by Right to Work and other anti workfare groups would continue their action, shutting tesco stores down until they withdraw from the scheme and the government drops its slave labour schemes and replaces them with real jobs and training.

Right to Work is calling for a day of action against Tesco stores on Wednesday 22nd February and will also be supporting the national day of action called by Boycott Workfare on 3 march.

As well as taking the fight to the Government when the next unemployment figures are released on March 14 with a Mass Dole queue at the DWP offices in Westminster.

http://righttowork.org.uk/2012/02/right-to-work-occupy-westminster-tesco/

March 3rd London Info:
Meet outside BHS on Oxford Street, 11:30am
http://www.facebook.com/events/168924943221854/

Flyer: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/3rd-March-london-leaflet.pdf