Protesters target slave-labour shops

The Get Britain Working project has sparked public fury for forcing participants to do up to eight weeks' unpaid work for private companies and lose their benefits if they leave a placement early.

Fast-food giant Burger King became the latest company to pull out of the scheme at the weekend.

The firm said that the company had registered for the voluntary work experience programme six weeks ago with the intention of providing placements at its headquarters in Slough.

However it said it had not recruited anyone on the scheme and that "given the recent concerns expressed by the public" it would now cease being involved.

Retailers Poundland and Sainsbury's have already withdrawn after voicing concern about youngsters having their benefits snatched away.

Retail giant Tesco offered to pay people on the scheme and asked ministers to remove the threat of benefit sanctions after a series of protests shut down some of its stores.

And bakery chain Greggs chief executive Ken McMeikan said he was not comfortable with young people losing their benefits if they leave the initiative.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said that offering youngsters work experience with the "chance" of a job at the end was better than "simply leaving them" on benefits.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "Campaigners need to think carefully about whether their actions are in the interests of the people who will now be denied the opportunity to gain valuable experience."

But Right To Work said that McDonalds made £942 million over just three months - enough to pay nearly 400,000 young unemployed people to work a 30-hour week.

The campaign group's spokesman Mark Dunk said: "Chris Grayling has to go. He has overseen a slave-labour scheme that has seen young unemployed workers forced to work for their benefits.

"All week long he has denied that there is a problem. As his slave labour scheme crumbles there is only one honourable thing for him to do. Resign now."

willstone@peoples-press.com