Footnote: Workfare: Working For Nothing

In an attempt to get me back to work, one of the many job clubs I attended ar­rang­ed for me to do some voluntary work. A small local annex of a regional college ran what they called a returner's class. Most of its students were mature women who wished to return to work after their children had grown up a bit. They were being taught how to use general office software like word processors, spread sheets and databases.

I was to help out with the teaching. After the lecturer had finished going through the workings of a particular package I was to go around the class helping students get to grips with the package. I was unfamiliar with the particular packages the col­lege was using. However, over my long career in software I had actually designed and written such packages. It was therefore easy for me to become adept with the packages the college was using. In fact, I familiarised myself completely with each package while I was actually teaching it to those I was helping.

It soon became obvious to the students that my depth of knowledge was far greater than that of the lecturer. In fairness, this was not surprising. After all, I had had about 15 years longer than she had to acquire it. One of the students asked me why I was not taking a class of my own. I explained that I was long-term unempl­oyed and that I was working as a volunteer in the hope of getting a job there when one materialised.

When they learned that I was being paid absolutely nothing for what I was doing they were quite outraged and said that they would never consider such a thing. The official excuse for my being expected to work for nothing was that I had to prove myself to the college before it could consider taking me on. This seemed rather ar­ro­gant in the light of my 30+ years experience in the industry. When a vacancy did arise, the job was given to a young woman. Most of the staff were women from their mid twenties to mid forties. She therefore fitted in better with the team.

I soon discovered that I could never have become a lecturer anyway. I did not have the necessary teaching qualifications and had no means of acquiring them. I cert­ainly knew how to teach. I had spent a lot of time over many years training my customers to use my own software. But this did not count. Being able to teach was irrelevant. I needed a piece of paper to say I could teach. It was all leading no­where, so I quit.

I believe that if somebody is actually doing a job which the organisation for which he is doing it wants done, then that organisation should pay the proper wage for that job. All this so called voluntary work which I was doing was pure exploitation. It was the employer who was free-loading on the tax payer to provide my welfare, not me!

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Parent Document | ©May 1998 Robert John Morton