Fraud-riddled sponges off of the tax system A4e, who specialise in forcing benefit claimants into unpaid “voluntary” positions (featured here before), are the target of countrywide protests this Wednesday at 11am. Their Edinburgh office is at Earl Grey Street (i.e. Lothian Road).
Local organisers, Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty, condemn A4e’s multi-millionaire owner, Emma Harrison, for “raking it in”, while “ the sick, the disabled, the unemployed, single parents and other people who need support face cuts in services and the prospect of being made to work for their benefits.” ECAP continue: “We want to let Emma Harrison and her pals in government know that welfare is a right and should not have to be earned. People not in waged work contribute a lot to their communities. Single parents are already working and deserve a decent wage.
“Welfare to work” effects us all, waged or unwaged. Low income, temporary and insecure jobs will be replaced by “work for your benefits”. Privatisation of the Department for Work and Pensions role, e.g. bringing in profit hungry firms such as A4e, is an attack on DWP/ Jobcentre Plus workers and on our rights to access welfare.