Unemployed used as unpaid staff at Jubilee event and expected to sleep outside

[HRHEightiesChick]

This story about unpaid workers doing the security at the flotilla event yesterday is bad. They were misled about not being paid, and had to sleep out in tents or actually outside 'under London bridge' was suggested to them. This is Workfare in action again, I believe.

'No company worth it's salt is going to employ these people when there are plenty of experienced people out there looking for work.'

No- they just use them as slave labour, thus removing the need even to seek 'experienced' people to do unskilled jobs.

In what crazed universe can this be acceptable?

and exactly what 'skills' have these poor sods gained by being bussed down fro Bristol, dumped under a bridge and quite understandably cacking up the job of organising Jubilee crowds?

A Liberal MP has also asked for an investigation.

If you read the Daily Mail comments, the best rated in green are all against it. Supporters are getting red arrows.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2154903/Lord-Prescott-urges-probe-claims-jobseekers-bussed-capital-work-unpaid-stewards.html

To be fair to the company involved, it does seem that there were a number of cockups involved, with people not meeting a coach and coach drivers driving off etc. Apparently it was part of a work experience type course which would lead to some sort of qualification. But, I don't see why they can't be paid a fair wage for their time and work. I presume the company is remunerated, so I can't see why they can't pay for people's services.

I've heard about Big Charity, Big Society and Philanthropy, and they're all big and grand, but are they fair and do they pay their share?

If lefties think the problem of long-term unemployed people is going away anytime soon, they are mistaken. I notice no-one on this thread has come up with better ideas of how to do it, only criticism of the government

Josephine as I've said: if there's a job to be done, then let qualified people apply for it. As I've also said, it's not as if there's a shortage.

So, answer the question instead of dodging it or I'll think you're a stooge of Dave, Gid or Irritable Duncan Syndrome.

You're the one who's being unrealistic and downright negligent.

The Jubilee weekend required competent stewards. We didn't get them.

Instead we got incompetents on the DWP's work programme.

It was a blessing there wasn't a terrorist incident. But I guess we have real professionals such as the police and the army to thank for that.

It was also a blessing the weather was so hostile. If it has been halfway decent, people would have stayed creating problems of crowd control.

As it was, incompetents at private crowd control companies directed people to an exposed place - Hyde Park - and brooked no argument.

Prince Philip was taken to hospital suffering a bladder infection brought on by the effects of exposure.

Experienced rowers on the pageant were taken to hospitals suffering exhaustion from cold brought on by idiots who organised it. But we'll hear no more about that for fear of 'spoiling' the Jubilee.

I had to escort my 88 year old mother home shivering with cold because idiots from greedy companies had made us walk miles without direction and stand in the rain and cold and then abandoned us.

Do you have a better idea for this? I do.

"these people are unemployable"

How do you know that? And what training do you need? I used to steward at football matches and at festivals and it doesn't require much
'training' at all. All this 'training' is is another excuse for businesses to avoid paying people a decent wage for a decent day 's work.

'All this 'training' is is another excuse for businesses to avoid paying people a decent wage for a decent day 's work.'

I doubt this business is a large business. It's the government that created workfare, not that business, and a charity seems to have been involved in this contract. The business is at the end of the line as are the staff.

Josephe I don't want to come across as a smug patronising cow but I don't think you understand the economics behind this. You don't know the people undertaking this role are unemployable, you're makING assumptions about people (based on what appears to be information from the DM).
The are 2.65 million people who are unemployed in the UK. Arethey unemployable? There are 464,000 job vacancies. Workfare substitutes paid employment for unpaid skivvies. This is adding to unemployment.

Unless the economy grows by around 2% per annum unemployment will not fall. The government's policies are not creating growth. Thus the government are making the situation worse.

It's not difficult to get your head round.

"these people are unemployable" Only when it comes to paying them though eh.

Josephine I think you'll find that the housing bubble was created by a number of factors. The most significant of which, IMHO, was down to financial reforms put created in the Laws

Laws on budget

I'll ty again, Lawson budget. Bloody phone.

As far as I can see, all JosephineCD thinks she knows about these people is that they were 'unemployable'. All anyone else knows about them is that they are unemployed.

I'm not sure how you reasonably extrapolate from the second to the first.

Looking forward to seeing the company responsible (CEO has had 8 previous security companies dissolved, apparently) make it a bit clearer exactly how they were assessing these poor sods for a qualification, & how many of them have 'passed' & will now, presumably have a firm offer of employment for the Olympics.

Claig, the scary thing is it appears the company are also providing stewards for the Olympics - some of the same people they pressed into working for free at the Jubilee. No doubt with the same rigorous level of training, and living in a tent city in Epping Forest. Would hardly take a terrorist mastermind to think, ooh, I wonder how we can take advantage of these lax procedures for recruiting people to work at the Olympics, would it?

Interesting blog here,if you read through to the comments ,the CEO of the security company has her say.

Yes, I am sure that this is not the only company employing stewards like this.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2153783/Whistleblower-sacked-speaking-G4S-cutting-corners-vetting-security-staff.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

But, I think that the companies are the final link in the chain. The contracts seem to be paid from taxpayer money and in some cases it looks like the govt contracts out to charities who then manage the contracts.

Looking on the charity's website, it even seems that the charity can find the staff. They say "If you need to fill a vacancy, use our recruitment service to find the staff you need. It is tailored to you, efficient and entirely free."

According to Twitter Tomorrow's People are 'urgently reviewing our involvement with Close Protection UK' & will be issuing a statement tomorrow.

Rough translation: My arse is out! Must cover it!

I don't know about the charity sector or 'third sector', but it almost looks to me that Big State exists, despite assertions to the contrary.

Clearly lots of bigwigs and media people must know all about these type of contracts and workfare staff etc.

There was a fascinating article in today's Mail by Jeremy Vine about New Labour media management, and a fascinating tale about Mandelson and a Normandy landing media story that ended up with Tory good intentions getting a pasting. This media story may have some parallels, as these things can't be a surprise to the bigwigs.

www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2154550/Savaged-stiletto-baseball-bat.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

This was at the time of Normandy landing street parties,

'One day, he asked me what I thought of the Conservative government?s plan to lay on street parties to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day. I said I didn?t have much of a clue. It all seemed pretty dull: though there were some fun events ? like ?spam-fritter frying contests? ? and fireworks in Hyde Park.

Mandelson said that the Labour leader ? then John Smith ? had allowed him to ?see if we can do something? on the issue. Do something? What was there to do, Peter?

?Aha,? he said enigmatically.'

And this story is at the time of Jubilee street parties.

The BBC has just taken a pasting for the coverage of the Jubilee. And now it looks like the government might get a pasting for workfare, when it was already widely known that people are not paid.

At the time of the Normandy street parties 'There were questions in the Commons.'

At the time of Jubilee street parties, there are Lords and MPs calling for investigations.

^And now I read they're going to get the prisoners working more.
here
I can express how angry the whole thing is making me!^
Why would prisoners working more make you angry?

As I have said, do you have any better ideas? This country is in a dreadful state thanks to Labour. Putting it right is not going to be easy but I feel the coalition are on the right track. For people that have not worked in a long time, it will a big shock to the system. But it is the only way to do it. We simply cannot afford to subsidise people to be unemployed for years on end. This country once had a work ethic that was world reknowned, it's time to bring that spirit back, and do away with the ethose that working is for other people, and it's the government's responsibility to feed me/house me/give me spending money/teach me how to wipe my baby's arse etc etc.

Just coming back to note that when JosephineCD said earlier that the Guardian was 'hardly the most reputable of sources' on workfare, I asked her if she would care to support that with any examples. She hasn't done so, in spite of adding other posts to the thread. Josephine - there is a difference between not agreeing with the Guardian's 'agenda' (which, of course, they have, just as the Dail yMail or any newspaper has) and claiming that their reporting is not 'reputable'. That remains an opinion of yours, rather an a statement argued with reason or supported with any evidence.

John Prescott has just tweeted that he will be debating the issue with Molly Prince, the MD of Close Protection, on Radio 4 at 8.10 am tomorrow. I will be tuning in for that!

Back to bring those examples, eh?

Examples of what?

Deary me.