The Government in Britain has introduced a programme of savage welfare cuts. The cuts are
part of a broad government offensive on worker’s living conditions with attacks on a whole
range of benefits. The government’s programme of cuts is not just about reducing the
amount the state spends on welfare, the aims is also to force the unemployed into taking
jobs paying lower and lower wages which in turn drags down the wages of all workers. ----
As part of the cuts programme the Government introduced the so called “Workfare” scheme
under which the unemployed are forced to work for free for up to 6 months or face having
their benefits stopped with no guarantee of a permanent job at the end. Needles to say
companies were quick to take advantage of what amounted to free labour and began taking on
an increasing numbers of people under the Workfare scheme.
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