Royal Mail 'Work Experience' Programme

[BoycottWorkfare]

This is about providing millions of hours of free labour to employers. Employers are already using workfare to replace paid workers. Why would they bother employing someone if they can get the job done for free?

By supporting this the CWU are jeapordising their members jobs, hours and wages. Take a stand against this nonsense now.

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[frogger]

I think the use of the word "forced" to work is a little harsh.

Actually you guys criticising this are being twats.

Work experience is an invaluable part of a young persons introduction to the grown up world of work. They are simply not introduced or prepared by the education system for work, as it currently stands nor has the system ever been able to do so since the demise of the apprenticeship.

I did work experience, as did both my sons, I reckon it gave us all the edge when it came to securing jobs.

Give the kids a break, at least as part of their "work experience" you can direct these young people towards the benefits of Union membership in preparation for later life. School won't teach them this.

Subbie

Currently playing host to a work experience person.

If it is,indeed work experience 100% then fair enough Subbie,but you know how things are with RM. In our office they expect us to work our days off as we cant cope with the work load,we are all tired out and are saying no.RM will use these poor unfortunates to do our work for just their benefits,it isnt right and it certainly isnt fair.My son is unemployed,and was told to report to a Tyre shredding plant on the outskirts of our town to do "work experience".He worked 38 hours outdoors,with machinery,with no training,no health and safety,in the pouring rain.At the end of each week,the boss said to the 4 work experience lads he had,that if they worked Saturday as well,it would stand them in good stead for a full time job at the end of it.They all worked it,no pay except their benefits.The boss told them they were a great bunch of workers.Yet when they finished the 4 week stint,they were told by the person who located them there that the boss wasnt happy with their work,and that he wanted them for 4 more weeks to see it they would make the grade!!They were slaves,no other word for it,it was slave labour.My son told them to stuff it,and lost his benefits,the other 3 went back for another 4 weeks,and guess how many got a job??Yep you guessed it,none!
The government this Workfare will teach the jobless work ethic.If they really wanted to show the jobless that work pays,then PAY THEM THE MONEY!

[randompostman]

Before I get going I am dead against the CWU RM scheme but it is not workfare but a DWP work experience scheme. It is voluntary in the fact you can say no to going on it although many who have been on it are not told they can say no and you will face financial sanctions if you say no 2 or 3 times to other schemes and once started you will also face financial sanctions if you decide it is not for you and stop, so I still believe it is forced work of 25 / 30 hours at a rate of pay we get for working an hours overtime every day. As we are overstaffed at Royal Mail I would like to ask where these hours are coming from as every week we hear of job losses, the only way to give these hours to unpaid workers is to allow them to do work that is done by CWU members as overtime at the moment. The CWU say that many will get jobs but again as we are losing jobs every week where are these jobs coming from? We have thousands of short term temps that are on the seniority list that want long term contracts so again where are these jobs going to come from? HQ in their last LTB about this admit that some unemployed workers will suffer sanctions from this scheme but have given a start date for March 2012 and they should answer why they are going ahead at least till that last issue is cleared up and where the hours are coming from as well as the jobs that they say many unemployed workers will get.
I am not against giving unemployed people a chance of a job and as there is a higher risk of failure the Government should do away with all these schemes (about 4 or 5) and for the usual trial period of 12 weeks give the full JSA of the unemployed worker to the firm as both a reward and to compensate for any difficulty that they may experience to make it worthwhile to risk taking on long term unemployed whilst the employer pays a proper wage to the worker. It is no accident that most of these schemes are being taken up by corporations that wish to pay the lowest wages they can and get the most work from their workers and the thought of free labour would seem like Xmas to them.