A group of Tayside activists staged a protest against ‘unpaid work placements’ outside a Dundee store.
Members of the Scottish Unemployed Workers Network and Dundee Against Austerity picketed Poundstretcher on Lochee Road, where a number of benefit claimants were believed to have been due to start work experience.
Police Scotland said they were called to Wednesday’s protest, which initially took place in the shop car park before moving on to a public footpath at 10am.
SUWN activist Sarah Glynn said: “The idea that these placements help people is nonsense. They are asked to stack shelves that’s not training. If you’ve got a dozen people coming in to work for free, then why should companies hire paid staff?
“People are being told that if they don’t come to these placements they’ll lose their benefits.”
The Courier spoke to one of the claimants who said he was due to start his placement on the morning of the protest.
The man, a computer hardware engineer who did not want to be named, said: “I’ve only been out of work for nine weeks and I’ve been looking for jobs in IT, as I have two degrees in this field.
“It seems to be at the discretion of the job centre how long after becoming unemployed you’re sent on work placements.
“Myself and about eight others were told to sign papers for this work placement, but I refused.
“I don’t see how a placement like this is going to help me if I’m looking for jobs in IT.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to my benefits. I’ll have to wait and see what the job centre says.”
A DWP spokesman said they had no record of anyone being sent on a work placement at the Poundstretcher store on Lochee Road, but that the placement could have been arranged by a partner agency.
SUWN claimed that the placement was arranged through Learndirect, but no one at the agency’s press office could be reached for comment.
A police spokesman said: “Police Scotland attended at Lochee Road, Dundee, at about 10am this morning regarding a report that around eight people within a car park outside a business premises were engaging in a protest.
“There were no incidents of criminality and the group left the area.”
Poundstretcher did not wish to comment.
Last month, Dundee’s Fairness Commission condemned the “work for your benefits” schemes.