Today the Guardian has reported that unpaid jobseekers are to be put on Workfare programmes to deliver patient care in 3 Sandwell and West Birmingham hospitals.
Workfare schemes, where unemployed workers are expected to work for their benefits, are akin to slave labour. Recent protests against the Workfare programme saw companies such as Tesco drop out rather than face protests.
It is unacceptable that Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have started using Workfare to run their hospitals, and worse that they are preparing to use unpaid workers to deliver patient care.
While the government claimed to have ring-fenced the funding to the NHS in fact our hospitals are all facing cuts. Sandwell and West Birmingham will face £125 million cuts in the next 5 years. Andrew Lansley has driven through legislation that allows private companies like Virgin to profit from NHS contracts. Now unemployed workers are being told to run our hospitals for free.
Protest
Thursday 24th May at 5pm
Sandwell Hospital, West Bromwich, B71 4HJ. Assemble at the corner of Little Lane and All Saints Road, outside the A&E dept.
Called by Right to Work, Disabled People Against Cuts
Linda
change the name nasty party to nazi party and you well sum up the tories.