Say No To Workfare Town Centre, Kingston Upon Thames Wednesday, 22 nd February 2012 Smarter than your average Cliffites Organised by the Kingston SWP The VOAG (Voice Of Anti-Capitalism in Guildford) joined the Kingston branch of the SWP for a demo as part of the Nation Day Of Action Against Workfare. Check-out our crappy phone pictures
Around thirty students and workers from the SWP, Right To Work campaign and Education Activists Network came together for a demonstration against Workfare.
The government’s Workfare Programme forces unemployed people to work for their unemployment benefit. That’s £67 a week for a full-time job. And our taxes used to subsidise the wage bill of high street retailers.
Meeting up at the train station, our first stop was the near-by Tesco. Tesco announced it was withdrawing from the government’s Workfare Programme a day before the Day Of Action – However its always worth reminding them of the trouble they would invite if they were to reconsider using slave labour schemes.
Many retailers have been replacing staff – especially temporary Christmas staff - with the slave labour conscripts of the Workfare scheme. After thirty minutes of handing out leaflets and making our presence felt, we took off down the High Street to visit other shops who have availed themselves of the government’s slave labour Workfare scheme.
School students and youth spontaneously joined us as we marched down the High Street toward our next victim.
Topman, Topshop and Boots each got an un-welcomed visit from our growing numbers. It was great to see so many enthusiastic school students and local youth. These are the activists and socialists of tomorrow.
...And many of the young people that joined us will be telling their parents and their mates – building for the next demo. Some of them remember the student demo of last year, when a thousand students, workers and youth marched through the streets of Kingston in a demonstration against education fees and cuts and for the restoration of the EMA.
For more on this story: