IDS defends his work scheme — but he may have to change it
Peter Hoskin 4:21pm
Articles by politicians are often flat and passionless. Not so Iain Duncan Smith's
effort for the Daily Mail today. The welfare secretary sets about
defending the government's Work Experience scheme for unemployed young people, but it soon turns into a full-blooded attack on its detractors. ‘I doubt I’m the only person who thinks
supermarket shelf-stackers add more value to our society than many of those “job snobs” who are busy pontificating about the Government’s employment policies,’ he bristles,
‘They should learn to value work and not sneer at it.’ And there's much more besides, including a warning against ‘a twisted culture that thinks being a celebrity or appearing on
The X Factor is the only route worth pursuing in life.’
All of this is, of course, in response to the recent controversy over Tesco's involvement in the scheme. The idea behind it is that young jobseekers are referred on to work experience placements with participating companies, such as Tesco, in the hope that they'll become more employable along the way. It's up to those young jobseekers to decide whether or not to accept the placements, for which they're not paid beyond expenses. And there's no penalty for dropping out before a week has elapsed, but after that benefits may be withdrawn. Out of this has arisen a protest with two main concerns: that young people are being exploited for free labour and locked into placements that they might not want nor enjoy.
As it happens, Tesco has also published its official response today. And it's no surprise to see them highlight that ‘Tesco has suggested to the Department of Work and Pensions that, to avoid any misunderstanding about the voluntary nature of the scheme, the risk of losing benefits that currently exists should be removed,’ not least because this has been previously reported. They are also offering an alternative scheme by which jobseekers will be ‘paid by Tesco for the four-week placement, with a guaranteed permanent job at the end of it, provided they complete the placement satisfactorily.’
So will the government follow Tesco's suggestion, and remove the risk of losing benefits? For all of IDS's unwavering prose today, I'd be surprised if they didn't. As our own Martin Bright has pointed out, these schemes rely on the good will of employers. If that good will isn't maintained, then even the most worthwhile schemes — and this Work Experience scheme is fundamentally worthwhile — can be whittled down to naught.
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Trapped
February 21st, 2012 4:37pm Report this commentIn all fairness, any mandatory work scheme should focus exclusively on deploying people to places where they do societal good or work for the public benefit. Placing them in shelf stacking "Work experience" is essentially taxpayer subsidised profits for companies, or socialism in reverse.
perdix
February 21st, 2012 4:48pm Report this commentIf a person on work experience in the private sector is eventually given a permanent job, that is good for the person, good for the employer and good for society.
Tiberius
February 21st, 2012 4:53pm Report this commentThe sneering class. One day it could be a phrase that IDS is rightly praised for.
Trapped: as employers already suffer depressed profits for keeping an army of non-productive producers of red tape in work, I think your depiction of work experience as subsidized profits is misplaced. Furthermore, do you have any idea of the cost and displacement caused in the workplace when training new recruits, whether they are paid or not?
telemachus'
February 21st, 2012 4:59pm Report this comment"remove the risk of losing benefits?"
Problem with IDS is that for all his wise words he stands for losing benefits. We cannot take this man seriously when he purports to want to help.
Dimoto
February 21st, 2012 5:40pm Report this comment1) The "sneering class" - yes indeed.
I spend a fair amount of time wandering around TESCO with the wife.
Strange to say, I have yet to spot a raving greeny, or a Hampstead metrosexual, or even a BBC luvvie.
Dimoto
February 21st, 2012 5:41pm Report this comment2) However, TESCO, built lovingy into a great British company, over decades by Terry Leahy, who understood exactly what his customers wanted, is now under severe threat because Leahy's successor, Philip Clarke, is much more interested in doing what the greenies, metrosexuals, Occupy, Uncut and other assorted busybodies tell him.
I guess it's a Liverpool thing.
Leahy rose above his origins, Clarke wallows in them.
Not a BOGOF or bargain in sight in TESCO these days, and soon, no work experience kids either.
Time to sell TESCO.
sinosimon
February 21st, 2012 5:57pm Report this commentThe participating companies should be forced to provide reason for not taking on the person at the end of their placement. If they cannot do so(ie if the claimant has turned up and worked effectively) the firm should be fined one year's minimum wage.
If the job needs doing the companies should pay. Churning free labour is a disgrace.
John Lea
February 21st, 2012 6:39pm Report this commentThe Tory party are lucky to have a man like IDS in their ranks. If people weren't so pathetically obsessed with image and style over substance he would still be party leader.
As for his point, he's absolutely correct. I remember clearly Diane Abbott appearing on TV a while back, questioning the lack of jobs on offer to welfare claimants. When challenged that Tesco was recruiting for 100 new jobs, she said 'who on earth would want to work in Tesco's for (such and such) an hour?' Personally, I have more respect for people who go out and earn their own keep (regardless of the job) and contribute to society, than those who feel they're above such work and are happy to keep on claiming, whilst harping on that there's no 'decent' jobs out there.
Fish
February 21st, 2012 10:39pm Report this commentTo use a football analogy, so far this week it looks like Govt 0, SWP 2. Both of the SWP's goals score with assists from the BBC.
Not content with filling the airwaves with Labour voices the BBC have turned to the hard left giving their activists the opportunity to take on NHS reform (yesterday) and The Work Programme today.
It seems that the BBC have crossed the line and are themselves activists.
It seems that it is impossible to make any progress in this country in the face of anti-democratic rabid reaction and opposition.
Trapped
February 21st, 2012 11:12pm Report this comment@ Tiberius : Training for shelf stacking, *really* ?
No, it's known some of the companies have been systematically "churning" placements by replacing people at the end of their stint with new ones, when it comes to very low skilled placements, it is a profit subsidy, plain and simple.
If we really must put them to work in low skilled jobs, put them in high-vis jackets and have them clean up the streets, parks, etc.
Maddy1
February 21st, 2012 11:30pm Report this commentSo true Dimoto the post 1945 "foodists", asked for cheap food for the masses, we have unsustainable numbers dependent on this system now.
Matthew Blott
February 22nd, 2012 12:40am Report this commentThe usual silliness in the comments so far including the usual one of labeling anyone in disagreement a member of the SWP - as if asking for a living wage is akin to dangerous Marxism. I shop in Tesco and don't sneer at the shelf stackers - I just think the should be paid properly. Adam Smith thought that too by the way.
dorothy wilson
February 22nd, 2012 9:18am Report this commentBasic question: how many of the Right to Work activists stirring up trouble actually work?
George Laird
February 22nd, 2012 5:50pm Report this commentDear All
How many times does it take for a person to stack a supermarket shelf before they acquire that ‘skill set’?
I would think most people would say once.
The problem regarding the Tories’ ‘deutsche emailwarefabrik’ idea is that the ‘work experience’ is geared up to using the working class as a form of slave labour.
Hasn’t history been here before?
IDS said:
‘I doubt I’m the only person who thinks supermarket shelf-stackers add more value to our society than many of those “job snobs” who are busy pontificating about the Government’s employment policies,’ he bristles, ‘They should learn to value work and not sneer at it.’
How many unemployed working class people are doing this work experience in his office?
I think the answer would be none and the history of anyone on the forced labour treadmill would show no one has ever set foot in his office.
Job snob, Iain Duncan Smith!
This is the attitude of Tories, know your place.
Another Tory idea was to make offenders wear bright orange suits, how about a campaign were unemployed people wear ‘Force labour’ T shirts in organisations, that way when the public see them, the PR will help those organisations.
Imagine people saying to customers ‘Im doing forced labour’, help profits no end.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
George Laird
February 22nd, 2012 5:50pm Report this commentDear All
How many times does it take for a person to stack a supermarket shelf before they acquire that ‘skill set’?
I would think most people would say once.
The problem regarding the Tories’ ‘deutsche emailwarefabrik’ idea is that the ‘work experience’ is geared up to using the working class as a form of slave labour.
Hasn’t history been here before?
IDS said:
‘I doubt I’m the only person who thinks supermarket shelf-stackers add more value to our society than many of those “job snobs” who are busy pontificating about the Government’s employment policies,’ he bristles, ‘They should learn to value work and not sneer at it.’
How many unemployed working class people are doing this work experience in his office?
I think the answer would be none and the history of anyone on the forced labour treadmill would show no one has ever set foot in his office.
Job snob, Iain Duncan Smith!
This is the attitude of Tories, know your place.
Another Tory idea was to make offenders wear bright orange suits, how about a campaign were unemployed people wear ‘Force labour’ T shirts in organisations, that way when the public see them, the PR will help those organisations.
Imagine people saying to customers ‘Im doing forced labour’, help profits no end.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
George Laird
February 22nd, 2012 5:50pm Report this commentDear All
How many times does it take for a person to stack a supermarket shelf before they acquire that ‘skill set’?
I would think most people would say once.
The problem regarding the Tories’ ‘deutsche emailwarefabrik’ idea is that the ‘work experience’ is geared up to using the working class as a form of slave labour.
Hasn’t history been here before?
IDS said:
‘I doubt I’m the only person who thinks supermarket shelf-stackers add more value to our society than many of those “job snobs” who are busy pontificating about the Government’s employment policies,’ he bristles, ‘They should learn to value work and not sneer at it.’
How many unemployed working class people are doing this work experience in his office?
I think the answer would be none and the history of anyone on the forced labour treadmill would show no one has ever set foot in his office.
Job snob, Iain Duncan Smith!
This is the attitude of Tories, know your place.
Another Tory idea was to make offenders wear bright orange suits, how about a campaign were unemployed people wear ‘Force labour’ T shirts in organisations, that way when the public see them, the PR will help those organisations.
Imagine people saying to customers ‘Im doing forced labour’, help profits no end.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
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