workfare
We kept up the pressure on Savers with today’s demo outside their shop on Haymarket.

The manager got very defensive when questioned about the shop’s exploitation of young people, refusing to answer questions but threatening to have us “moved on”. We moved nowhere, stood outside the shop and gave out leaflets to passers by and shoppers who were – without exception today – sympathetic. Some people had experienced workfare schemes themselves and were pleased that we were making the issue a public one. One workfare veteran talked about her experience of the Youth Training Scheme in the 1980’s – workfare isn’t a new idea.

As we were about to leave a group of young lads, on their way to the football, came up and asked us what we were doing and what “workfare” was. Eyes wide in disbelief they watched as we explained. “Working for nothing? That’s rubbish” was their verdict and they were keen to have their photo taken with our banner: the anti-workfare team.

Workfare was wrong in the 1980’s, it’s wrong now and it looks like today’s children might just refuse to be tomorrow’s workfare slaves.