Sanctions, the Work Programme and “Workfare”

The Work Programme is the government’s flagship back-to-work scheme, heralded as “a revolution in back to work support” when it was introduced in 2011.

A July 2014 National Audit Office (NAO) report found that only 11% of claimants of ESA (the benefit for those unable to work due to illness or disability) referred under the programme had achieved a “job outcome”. This was way below the 22% set as an initial minimum performance level by the DWP, and the 12% of previous programmes. Of those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) aged 25 and over, 27% had moved into employment lasting six months or longer. This was well below the original DWP forecast of 39%.

The Work Programme delivers far more JSA sanctions than JSA job outcomes. Up to 30 September 2014 there had been 575,399 JSA Work Programme sanctions compared with 345,640 JSA Work Programme job outcomes.

The Work Programme is one of the ways in which the government is forcing benefit claimants to work for free. The campaign group Boycott Workfare says “workfare” profits the rich by providing free labour, while threatening the poor by taking away welfare rights if people refuse to work without a living wage. It reports a growing list of workfare schemes, including:

• Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) – Four weeks’ unpaid work for up to 30 hours a week. Claimants can face losing benefits for three months the first time they do not take part, and this can go up to three years for the third time. Claimants can be referred to MWA at any point in their claim.

• The Work Programme – (see above). Claimants are generally forced to attend after 9-12 months on JSA.

• Community Work Placements (Help to Work) – From April 2014 people who return to the Job Centre after the Work Programme face the Help to Work scheme.

The Boycott Workfare campaign can be found at: www.boycottworkfare.org