Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) is one of the Government’s five unpaid labour schemes in which unemployed people may be required to participate or lose their benefits. According to Chris Grayling Mandatory Work Activity “is something where people have no choice but to participate, otherwise their benefits will stop until they do”

MWA is not voluntary and people of any age can be mandated to take part, even if they have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for a short time (source). Job seekers are referred to the scheme at the discretion of a Jobcentre Plus advisor and placements are organised through private companies who arrange for the participant to work 30 hours per week for four weeks for no wage.

The International Workers Association has called days of action against austerity, exploitation, and oppression on 29, 30 and 31 March. As part of this, on Saturday 31 March, Solidarity Federation locals will be taking action against workfare.

Following on from the succesful day of action initiated by Liverpool Uncut on 3 March, our aim is to spread the action beyond the City Centre and get claimants and local communities more involved.

Our action will take place in Wavertree, at a target to be announced on the day. There, as last time, we intend to engage staff directly and encourage them to organise against their employer's use of workfare as well as encouraging the public not to give their business to the target.

We encourage everyone to come along and take part, and make the point that as long as workfare persists so will direct action against providers.

As part of the International Workers' Association days of action, Solidarity Federation Locals across the country will be taking action against workfare on Saturday 31st March. In Brighton, we will be meeting at the Clock Tower on the junction of Queens Rd and North St at 11am. Target to be confirmed, as firms are pulling out regularly at the moment. 

The following Monday (2nd April), there will be a communications blockade of the same target to keep up the pressure. 

• SF workfare campaign page
• Boycott Workfare (national campaign against workfare)
• Brighton SF on twitter (keep an eye for updates on the day)

This morning electricians and supporters gathered outside the entrance of the Shard site. The Rank and File Committee deciding to try and keep the momentum of previous months and take the fight to the agencies, (targeting big companies like Mace in particular) who rob workers pay packets week in week out. Agency workers on sites are often ununionised, work far longer shifts and have far less access to proper training than those in direct employment.

It was still not as warm as you'd like it to be but the 100 strong crowd were entertained by good humoured banter on the mike; with some pointing out that even when they built the pyramids they were at least directly employed, worked a maximum of 9 hours a day and got holiday pay...well scratch that last one. Many workers took leaflets going into the sites, as did passers by and commuters, since we were right in front of London bridge Station busy as ever in the rush hour.

John Foley of the Ryanair Don't Care campaign joined members of Solidarity Federation and the Anarchist Federation in Liverpool City Centre yesterday to hand out leaflets. John addressed the public by megaphone, describing the recruitment and employment practices of Ryanair as around 500 leaflets were distributed.

After the distribution, John provided Liverpool Solfed with an interview outside News From Nowhere bookshop - which has a Ryanair Don't care display in its front window - about what was in store. On Friday, there will be a picket of the Allied Irish Bank and Daniel Silverman Solicitors.

The Ryanair Don’t Care Campaign, supported by the Solidarity Federation in the UK and the IWA internationally, is calling for a Week of International Action against exploitation and recruitment scamming by Ryanair, starting on March 12.

Ryanair Don’t Care was started by John Foley after his daughter was sacked as a flight attendant mid-flight and abandoned abroad without any money. This led to the exposure of a cynical and highly exploitative recruitment scam by Ryanair.

Poster designs, two unbranded and one with the SF logo on, for use at pickets and protests against ryanair recruitment scamming.

STOP THE RYANAIR RECRUITMENT SCAM

The Ryanair Don't Care Campaign, with the support of the International Workers Association, is holding an International Week of Action against Ryanair, on the 12-18 March.

Ryanair's current policy of recruitment-for-termination is part of the massive exploitation of people who apply to work for the company. As it stands potential cabin crew have to pay a fee of 3000 Euro through an agency to undergo training for Ryanair. As many as 60 people are sacked at any one time after this initial training period, up to 200 people a month. Those who survive are put on a 12 month probationary period on a lower rate of pay than normal cabin crew and Ryanair pocket the difference, as much as £20m a year.

As we begin the week of action against Ryanair, we hope that people across the world are writing, faxing, emailing and making phone calls in protest at the airline's exploitative recruitment practices.

Attached are pro-forma demand letters to send to Ryanair and other key targets, which can be adapted as needed. Don't forget to include your name and/or the name of your organisation, along with contact details and let us know of any reply you receive.

In the order that the letters appear in the attachment, here are the contact details for the targets:

Ryanair

On Friday 24th February members of York Anarchists and others took part in a picket of Adecco in solidarity with members of the CNT in Cordoba, Spain. This picket was part of a series of pickets held across the UK organised by the Solidarity Federation.

Read their blog on the event here.