Medieval Slave’s Oath: Now Applicable to Workfare | Beastrabban\’s Weblog
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[Picture: Skwawkbox blog]
Looking through the books and materials I’ve got on slavery the other day, I found the oath slaves took when they formally renounced their freedom and became the property of a feudal lord in 7th century France.
‘Everyone knows that great poverty and very bad harvests oppress me, and I have nothing with which to feed or clothe myself. At my request you have given me some money and some clothes. As I cannot repay you, I cede to you my liberty: you may dispose of me as your other slaves.’
Well, it’s now fifteen centuries later, and we’re in the 21st century not the seventh. The attitude still seems to be the same at the DWP. It’s certainly the idea behind workfare, where in exchange for receiving the pittance to relieve hardship and allow the claimant something to eat, they are put on the work programme to labour for one of the governments’ donor companies for free.
And the parallels are even closer than that. What is given, if the claimant has been sanctioned, isn’t money: it’s food, exactly as described in the oath. And they can still be placed on the work programme and forced to work for the subscribing companies for free, even if they’re sanctioned and not receiving any money.
Source: Medieval Slave’s Oath: Now Applicable to Workfare | Beastrabban\’s Weblog
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That’s not medieval times that’s the dark ages in the 7th century, speaking technically from a historical point of view, but you are right it amounts to the same thing really, using people in vulnerable positions to exploit as you will, instead of creating fair employment. how far back in time are they going to take us.
The Jobseekers allowance equates to around 11 hrs at the current minimum wage. So the DWP are paying under the min wage.
Jobseekers are supposed to look for work 35 hrs a week.
Its just punishment by another name for those who find themselves in the unfortunate position of not being able to get a job for whatever reasons.
This government uses language that is ment to . appeal to the greed of the privileged few. And mind wash the rest of us. Tobthem all claiments are scroungers to be punished. They soon forget there own greed that put the world in to the state it is today.
2005 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings: “Article 4 – Definitions
For the purposes of this Convention:
A “Trafficking in human beings” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;
B The consent of a victim of “trafficking in human beings” to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used; ”
Essentially brings that up to date….receiving of payments or benefits….