IDS: Court ruling will not stop workfare scheme
Sunday 17 February 2013
Printable
EmailMillionaire Tory Iain Duncan Smith vowed today not to back down after his back-to-work scheme was ruled legally flawed last week.
The Work and Pensions Secretary has tabled emergency regulations to deal with a Court of Appeal victory for Cait Reilly who challenged the workfare scheme that ordered her to work at a Poundland store for free or face losing jobless benefits.
The court unanimously agreed the government failed to give the unemployed, and especially those being sanctioned, sufficient public information about the complex schemes for them to be lawful.
Mr Duncan Smith denied "slave labour" claims and said Ms Reilly "was paid jobseeker's allowance by the taxpayer to do this."
But Ms Reilly said she felt angry when ministers had previously branded her a "job snob."
If you appreciated this article then please consider donating to the Morning Star's Fighting Fund to ensure we can keep developing your paper.
Editorial
Hands off our postal service
A government guided by common sense would respond to news that publicly owned Royal Mail has increased profits to £403 million by scrapping plans to flog off the service.
Features
Trade unionists will keep fighting for Wales
Wales TUC president sets out the achievements of Welsh workers over the past year - and looks to the battles ahead
Dirty wars
Interview with Jeremy Scahill, author of a chilling new exposé of the US's worldwide war without end