total-recoil
Well-Known Member
For some time I've been aware of something the Political Party in my country has been up to and have become quite well informed of the current situation. When the Conservative party got into office they initiated a workfare program that basically forces the unemployed to work for benefits. I don't exactly have a problem with that if any work undertaken is paid by the hour at the minimum wage level but where I differ enormously is over the idea of people working over 30 hours a week for peanuts. Having investigated the whole business in detail I concluded this program isn't about helping the unemployed to gain skills and find a way into work but merely the exploitation of a cheap source of labour that bypasses the minimum wage.
As it stands the situation is that those who refuse to supply their labour for practically nothing to a large corporation can have all unemployment support stopped. That is, they wind up with no income at all.
Really, I don't know how the situation is in Europe. I do know this workfare plan (from the verb "Facere"= to force, compel) originated in the U.S.A. by the Republican Party many years ago and has been advocated in Europe. The problem is, as I say, it provides large corporations with a ready supply of cheap labour and destroys real jobs. Why pay minimum wage if you can hire people for free?
More worrying still, is the European Charter Of Social Justice does prohibit forced labour but so far it's taking ages for any intervention to take place. I'm aware when the charter was documented they did have in mind the sort of forced labour that took place in Germany in the forties but, even so, if an individual is forced to work well below minimum wage under threat of destitution, this surely cannot be tolerated by any European Constitution.
As things stand, one legal expert called Tessa Gregory is representing several people and taking the case step by step to the European Courts. The cases have been dragging on for several months and ultimately may go to the European legislative process. At any rate, according to what I read in the Social Charter people do have the right to choose what kind of job they want to do and I find it hard to believe the minimum wage can simply be bypassed in this way.
Anyone aware of this and is it the same in your country?
As it stands the situation is that those who refuse to supply their labour for practically nothing to a large corporation can have all unemployment support stopped. That is, they wind up with no income at all.
Really, I don't know how the situation is in Europe. I do know this workfare plan (from the verb "Facere"= to force, compel) originated in the U.S.A. by the Republican Party many years ago and has been advocated in Europe. The problem is, as I say, it provides large corporations with a ready supply of cheap labour and destroys real jobs. Why pay minimum wage if you can hire people for free?
More worrying still, is the European Charter Of Social Justice does prohibit forced labour but so far it's taking ages for any intervention to take place. I'm aware when the charter was documented they did have in mind the sort of forced labour that took place in Germany in the forties but, even so, if an individual is forced to work well below minimum wage under threat of destitution, this surely cannot be tolerated by any European Constitution.
As things stand, one legal expert called Tessa Gregory is representing several people and taking the case step by step to the European Courts. The cases have been dragging on for several months and ultimately may go to the European legislative process. At any rate, according to what I read in the Social Charter people do have the right to choose what kind of job they want to do and I find it hard to believe the minimum wage can simply be bypassed in this way.
Anyone aware of this and is it the same in your country?