The Compulsory Work Experience Scheme.

As part of the Welfare Reform Bill 2011 the British government has introduced compulsory work experience for the unemployed. Basically this involves sending jobseekers to a large multinational corporation like a supermarket for two months so they can do unskilled work for no pay.

About a month ago lawyers connected to the Socialist Workers Party's (SWP) Workfare campaign asked the courts to consider if compulsory work experience is the same as forced labour or slavery which is obviously against about a dozen domestic and international laws and conventions. Although the case has yet to be heard it prompted many of the large companies involved the scheme like Tescos and McDonalds to seek their own legal opinions and they concluded that it does probably constitute forced labour. So at summit between the companies and the government today (29/2/12) the government agreed to change one small aspect of the scheme so the liability for the compulsion falls on the government rather then the companies.