Back to work scheme - UNISON response

12 Feb 2013

Commenting on the Court of Appeal ruling that the Government’s unpaid back to work programmes are unlawful, UNISON Assistant General Secretary, Karen Jennings, said:

“It is time for the government to ditch these unlawful policies which force people to work without pay or lose their benefits.

“Multi million pound companies receiving free labour are the only winners of the Tory back to work programmes. The losers are those who are forced into jobs that, in many cases, have nothing to do with their qualifications, or the jobs they are looking for. By seriously undercutting existing paid staff, the plans could damage wage and employment growth.

“What our country desperately needs to get our economy back on track is more people working in real jobs, and getting paid properly for doing so. It is time for the government to turn its full attention to cutting the dole queues.”

The union is also warning that if the government does not ditch the welfare to work policies, it will run a coach and horses through minimum wage legislation by creating an enormous loophole.

See this news release on the UNISON UK website
.