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| Unpaid community warden scheme triggers north London protest | Unpaid community warden scheme triggers north London protest |
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| Demonstrators gathered on Wednesday outside a north London tube station to protest against an unpaid community warden scheme for jobseekers. | Demonstrators gathered on Wednesday outside a north London tube station to protest against an unpaid community warden scheme for jobseekers. |
| Around 30 business and community wardens in hi-vis jackets are patrolling the immediate vicinity outside Finsbury Park station without pay for six months – receiving about £10 a day in benefits – as part of the government’s Community Work Placement programme. | Around 30 business and community wardens in hi-vis jackets are patrolling the immediate vicinity outside Finsbury Park station without pay for six months – receiving about £10 a day in benefits – as part of the government’s Community Work Placement programme. |
| Jobseeking wardens on the scheme said they are required to work for 30 hours a week on a six-month basis in order to receive their unemployment benefits. | |
| Wardens, positioned in four areas outside the station, are clustered together in small groups between 10am and 6pm each weekday. | Wardens, positioned in four areas outside the station, are clustered together in small groups between 10am and 6pm each weekday. |
| They told the Guardian that their main role is to serve the public – giving directions, providing safety advice and deterring antisocial behaviour. | They told the Guardian that their main role is to serve the public – giving directions, providing safety advice and deterring antisocial behaviour. |
| The work placement scheme, set up by the Department for Work and Pensions to provide work experience for those finding it most difficult to get jobs, has received mounting criticism from campaigners. | The work placement scheme, set up by the Department for Work and Pensions to provide work experience for those finding it most difficult to get jobs, has received mounting criticism from campaigners. |
| In what is a complex chain, the work placement scheme is contracted out by the DWP to G4S, the global security firm. It is then subcontracted to Urban Futures, a local north London provider. | In what is a complex chain, the work placement scheme is contracted out by the DWP to G4S, the global security firm. It is then subcontracted to Urban Futures, a local north London provider. |
| Longterm jobseekers are referred from their local Job Centre to Urban Futures, a local provider that is paid for job outcomes. They are then placed on the business and community warden scheme by the Finsbury Park Business Forum, another local organisation. | Longterm jobseekers are referred from their local Job Centre to Urban Futures, a local provider that is paid for job outcomes. They are then placed on the business and community warden scheme by the Finsbury Park Business Forum, another local organisation. |
| Holding placards, the protesters handed out black and white leaflets to passers-by which read: “End exploitation of Finsbury wardens.” | Holding placards, the protesters handed out black and white leaflets to passers-by which read: “End exploitation of Finsbury wardens.” |
| Alec, a local resident and member of Haringey Solidarity Group who organised Wednesday’s protest said: “People who have been unemployed for two years and been through various work placements have fallen into a culture of low expectations. | Alec, a local resident and member of Haringey Solidarity Group who organised Wednesday’s protest said: “People who have been unemployed for two years and been through various work placements have fallen into a culture of low expectations. |
| “It’s an industry in itself – a lot of people are making money from unemployment.” | “It’s an industry in itself – a lot of people are making money from unemployment.” |
| Yilmaz Dursun, 31, told the Guardian that it was his first day on the warden scheme but he had previously been on another work programme for two months, in a north London charity shop. “This is slavery” he said. | Yilmaz Dursun, 31, told the Guardian that it was his first day on the warden scheme but he had previously been on another work programme for two months, in a north London charity shop. “This is slavery” he said. |
| Haroulla Georgiou, 54, who has been on the warden scheme for two and a half months, said: “I don’t even have £1 in my pocket to get a bottle of water.” | Haroulla Georgiou, 54, who has been on the warden scheme for two and a half months, said: “I don’t even have £1 in my pocket to get a bottle of water.” |
| The Met police has confirmed that the wardens, who are in a highly visible role, do not receive any formal police training. | The Met police has confirmed that the wardens, who are in a highly visible role, do not receive any formal police training. |
| A police spokesman said: “The training given is in the form of team building and improving communication skills and confidence. It is not police training.” | A police spokesman said: “The training given is in the form of team building and improving communication skills and confidence. It is not police training.” |
| Of the group, some of the wardens had been given additional supervisory responsibilities, which were alsounpaid. These included registering members of the team in the morning, going through guidelines and designating each warden their spots to patrol for the day. | Of the group, some of the wardens had been given additional supervisory responsibilities, which were alsounpaid. These included registering members of the team in the morning, going through guidelines and designating each warden their spots to patrol for the day. |
| Mohammed Enamul Haque, 47, from Tower Hamlets in east London, said he was head supervisor and had been on the scheme for three months. | Mohammed Enamul Haque, 47, from Tower Hamlets in east London, said he was head supervisor and had been on the scheme for three months. |
| “It’s very difficult: you can’t socialise without money. I feel isolated from my friends and family. You struggle to survive,” Haque said. | “It’s very difficult: you can’t socialise without money. I feel isolated from my friends and family. You struggle to survive,” Haque said. |
| “But now I’m not sitting at home stressing, when I’m here it’s better and I’m engaging with the community,” he said, adding that he wished he could be paid for his work. | “But now I’m not sitting at home stressing, when I’m here it’s better and I’m engaging with the community,” he said, adding that he wished he could be paid for his work. |
| Courtney Bailey, chairman of the Finsbury Park Forum, said the scheme was community focused and has been running since 2008. | Courtney Bailey, chairman of the Finsbury Park Forum, said the scheme was community focused and has been running since 2008. |
| Bailey said that some of the supervisors will be paid in the future – an annual salary of about £26,000. He added: “To be quite frank with you we’re not getting any money at the moment.” | Bailey said that some of the supervisors will be paid in the future – an annual salary of about £26,000. He added: “To be quite frank with you we’re not getting any money at the moment.” |
| A spokesman for G4S confirmed that the company has been linked to the Finsbury Park Business Forum and warden scheme since mid-January. | A spokesman for G4S confirmed that the company has been linked to the Finsbury Park Business Forum and warden scheme since mid-January. |
| The spokesman said: “At least two people have moved off benefits and into work. We deliver this programme in line with the very detailed guidance set out by the Department for Work and Pensions”. | The spokesman said: “At least two people have moved off benefits and into work. We deliver this programme in line with the very detailed guidance set out by the Department for Work and Pensions”. |
| An Urban Futures spokesperson told the Guardian it could not comment and said: “Urban Futures is obligated to direct such requests to the body to whom we are a subcontractor.” | An Urban Futures spokesperson told the Guardian it could not comment and said: “Urban Futures is obligated to direct such requests to the body to whom we are a subcontractor.” |
| Unemployment in the borough of Islington is above the national average, with almost 4,000 people on jobseekers allowance. | Unemployment in the borough of Islington is above the national average, with almost 4,000 people on jobseekers allowance. |
| The DWP said: “Community work placements help give longterm unemployed people the confidence and skills they need to get a job, as well as benefiting the charities and local communities groups involved in the scheme.” | The DWP said: “Community work placements help give longterm unemployed people the confidence and skills they need to get a job, as well as benefiting the charities and local communities groups involved in the scheme.” |