Michel Roux Junior - WorkFare hero

Returning to Workfare.

If you get the opportunity, do watch BBC's This Week on iPlayer.  I summarize the piece by Michelin-starred chef, Michel Roux.

Scene:  Busy kitchen - camera on person washing up - Surprise, it's top chef, Michel Roux!

MR:  This is where I started and worked for first year.  This taught me respect.
Kids nowadays want instant success and this served on a plate.  They forget that MR, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay all had to work hard to achieve their success.

They (kids) would rather be sat on benefits.

MR has taken on dozens of apprentices and they work for him for two years.

MR always looks for work experience - and it doesn't matter what it is - on a CV.

Work experience is not slave labour it gives kids valuable life skills and any work experience is invaluable.

MR believes there is an attitude problem and that is why jobs go to immigrants!  Skill training includes 'getting off your backside'.

MR - Work experience can never take over from full time employees.

On the same piece, former government minister and politician, Michael Portillo pointed out that 10% of Americans start their working life 'flipping hamburgers' and the whole process of this type of work experience builds confidence.  He also wondered why it was that in England, it is rare to see an English waiter and yet in Spain all waiters are Spanish.  Some people think waiting on tables is beneath them?

MR (having hoped to have got kids off of their backsides) goes on to say that what kids need is tough love and maybe a kick-up the backside!  

I wonder if that is why they don't want to get off it?

Workfare is voluntary.  My view is that after a six month period on benefits it should be compulsory.   If they don't undertake (and stick with a programme) then benefits are reduced and eventually eliminated (within a further 6 months)

This isn't slavery - check your history books - how many slaves got paid for their labour?  How many enjoyed taxpayer provided (and often subsidized), housing?  Free healthcare, education, etc.?

This has been proven to work - in the USA for one - and needs to be more widely adopted, here.



 

Workfare is fair and Win/Win

There is a lot of fuss, generated it seems mainly by the 'Occupy Movement' fellow travelers and some elements of the media.

Main proposition is that getting people to undertake work placements for major organizations, like supermarkets, and they do not get paid a wage, just their unemployment benefits is akin to 'slave labour' and boosts the profits of these retail giants.

Consider.
Cost to the taxpayer is unchanged.  Though might decrease if a permanent job is awarded.
Cost to unemployed  is nil - they get reimbursed expenses plus they get work experience on their CV and get into a 'work habit'
Cost to organization - There will be some but maybe offset by the fruits of the labour?

Benefit to Taxpayer = Higher profits for organizations means higher taxes.

Win:Win

Oh and 'slave labour'  - those who use that to describe shelf stacking in 21st Century Britain show their absolute ignorance of what constitutes slavery and no respect for those unfortunates who did and, in some countries still do, experience real slavery.

A closer analogy to slavery is that imposed on working people who are forced to pay ever higher levels of taxation!