Posted June 5, 201213 yr While the crowds were singing Rule Britannia last night some people may not have agreed with the line "Britons never, never, never shall be slaves". Some of the stewards for Sunday's boat thing were unemployed people working for nothing. From the Guardian A group of long-term unemployed jobseekers were bussed into London to work as unpaid stewards during the diamond jubilee celebrations and told to sleep under London Bridge before working on the river pageant. Up to 30 jobseekers and another 50 people on apprentice wages were taken to London by coach from Bristol, Bath and Plymouth as part of the government's Work Programme. Two jobseekers, who did not want to be identified in case they lost their benefits, said they had to camp under London Bridge the night before the pageant. They told the Guardian they had to change into security gear in public, had no access to toilets for 24 hours, and were taken to a swampy campsite outside London after working a 14-hour shift in the pouring rain on the banks of the Thames on Sunday. One young worker said she was on duty between London Bridge and Tower Bridge during the £12m river spectacle of a 1,000-boat flotilla and members of the Royal family sail by . She said that the security firm Close Protection UK, which won a stewarding contract for the jubilee events, gave her a plastic see-through poncho and a high-visibility jacket for protection against the rain. Close Protection UK confirmed that it was using up to 30 unpaid staff and 50 apprentices, who were paid £2.80 an hour, for the three-day event in London. A spokesman said the unpaid work was a trial for paid roles at the Olympics, which it had also won a contract to staff. Unpaid staff were expected to work two days out of the three-day holiday. The firm said it had spent considerable resources on training and equipment that stewards could keep and that the experience was voluntary and did not affect jobseekers keeping their benefits. The woman said that people were picked up at Bristol at 11pm on Saturday and arrived in London at 3am on Sunday. "We all got off the coach and we were stranded on the side of the road for 20 minutes until they came back and told us all to follow them," she said. "We followed them under London Bridge and that's where they told us to camp out for the night … It was raining and freezing." A 30-year-old steward told the Guardian that the conditions under the bridge were "cold and wet and we were told to get our head down [to sleep]". He said that it was impossible to pitch a tent because of the concrete floor. The woman said they were woken at 5.30am and supplied with boots, combat trousers and polo shirts. She said: "They had told the ladies we were getting ready in a minibus around the corner and I went to the minibus and they had failed to open it so it was locked. I waited around to find someone to unlock it, and all of the other girls were coming down trying to get ready and no one was bothering to come down to unlock [it], so some of us, including me, were getting undressed in public in the freezing cold and rain." The men are understood to have changed under the bridge. The female steward said that after the royal pageant, the group travelled by tube to a campsite in Theydon Bois, Essex, where some had to pitch their tents in the dark. She said: "London was supposed to be a nice experience, but they left us in the rain. They couldn't give a crap … No one is supposed to be treated like that, [working] for free. I don't want to be treated where I have to sleep under a bridge and wait for food." The male steward said: "It was the worst experience I've ever had. I've had many a job, and many a bad job, but this one was the worst." Both stewards said they were originally told they would be paid. But when they got to the coach on Saturday night, they said, they were told that the work would be unpaid and that if they did not accept it they would not be considered for well-paid work at the Olympics. Molly Prince, managing director of Close Protection UK, said in a statement: "We take the welfare of our staff and apprentices very seriously indeed. "The staff travelling to the jubilee are completing their training and being assessed on the job for NVQ Level 2 in spectator safety after having completed all the knowledge requirements in the classroom and some previous work experience. It is essential that they are assessed in a live work environment in order to complete their chosen qualifications. "The nature of festival and event work is such that we often travel sleeping on coaches through the night with an early morning pre-event start – it is the nature of the business … It's hard work and not for the faint-hearted. "We had staff travel from several locations and some arrived earlier than others at the meeting point, which I believe was London Bridge, which was why some had to hang around. This is an unfortunate set of circumstances but not lack of care on the part of CPUK." The company said it had spent up to £220 on sponsoring security training licences for each participant and that boots and combat trousers cost more than £100. The charity Tomorrow's People, which set up the placements at Close Protection under the work programme, said it would review the situation, but stressed that unpaid work was valuable and made people more employable. Tomorrow's People is one of eight youth charities that were supported in the Guardian and Observer's Christmas appeal last year. Abi Levitt, director of development services at the charity, said: "We have been unable to verify the accuracy of the situation with either the people on work experience or the business concerned. "We will undertake a review of the situation as matter of urgency. Tomorrow's People believes strongly in the value of work experience in helping people to build the skills, confidence and CV they need to get and keep a job and we have an exemplary record going back nearly 30 years for our work with the long-term unemployed."
June 5, 201213 yr The background story is here: http://eddiegillard.wordpress.com/2012/06/...kfare-provider/ It's all quite shocking really, although at the same time not at all surprising. Some of the conditions and situations described are absolutely disgusting.
June 5, 201213 yr Author Thanks for that Mark. It's interesting to see how the Guardian got the story in the first place. The comments from the MD of the firm concerned can be summarised as "We treat all our employees like shit. The only difference here is that we didn't pay them". She also goes on about how they are making a loss and have spent money on training etc. First, that won't help the stewards pay their bills. Second, you don't have to be much of a cynic to believe they are treating the boat thing and the Olympics as loss leaders. They are bound to use the two events in their future marketing.
June 5, 201213 yr Ahhh, yes 2012, the Olympics and Jubilee year... We should all be "proud to be British", proud to serfs, proud to be peasants, proud to be treated like slaves and shit on more like.... I'm ASHAMED of my country, I feel no pride at all, only a sense of rage that we've allowed this to come to pass and the fact that most of our so-called "media" has been a narcoleptic coma, the BBC and that arse-licking prick Nicholas Witchell has been spouting royalist propaganda for the past several days, no balance whatsoever, ignoring this scandal.... Question is now, what do we do about it....? Close Protection are ar really nasty bunch of b'astards, but they can only be blamed so far, the Corporatist system is ultimately to blame.. Government hand in glove with Corporations, big business and The City... This isn't "Free Enterprise", it's not Communism, it's not even Capitalism... It's "Crap-italism"...... Also, no one is gonna convince me that people in Clarence House didn't know that this was going on... I would find that a bit hard to believe, so the Monarchy itself is far from blameless.... "They told the Guardian they had to change into security gear in public, had no access to toilets for 24 hours, and were taken to a swampy campsite outside London after working a 14-hour shift in the pouring rain on the banks of the Thames on Sunday" Good Lord, even convicted prisoners have more human rights and are treated with more dignity than this...... <_< <_<
June 5, 201213 yr Ahhh, yes 2012, the Olympics and Jubilee year... We should all be "proud to be British", proud to serfs, proud to be peasants, proud to be treated like slaves and shit on more like.... I'm ASHAMED of my country, I feel no pride at all, only a sense of rage that we've allowed this to come to pass and the fact that most of our so-called "media" has been a narcoleptic coma, the BBC and that arse-licking prick Nicholas Witchell has been spouting royalist propaganda for the past several days, no balance whatsoever, ignoring this scandal.... Question is now, what do we do about it....? Close Protection are ar really nasty bunch of b'astards, but they can only be blamed so far, the Corporatist system is ultimately to blame.. Government hand in glove with Corporations, big business and The City... This isn't "Free Enterprise", it's not Communism, it's not even Capitalism... It's "Crap-italism"...... Also, no one is gonna convince me that people in Clarence House didn't know that this was going on... I would find that a bit hard to believe, so the Monarchy itself is far from blameless.... "They told the Guardian they had to change into security gear in public, had no access to toilets for 24 hours, and were taken to a swampy campsite outside London after working a 14-hour shift in the pouring rain on the banks of the Thames on Sunday" Good Lord, even convicted prisoners have more human rights and are treated with more dignity than this...... <_< <_< God Save The Queen!!!! :cheer: Oh and shut up Scott. You rant about everyone and everything. When you've done even a fraction as much for this country as Her Majesty has then you can spout your rubbish. :angry: Edited June 5, 201213 yr by Common Sense
June 5, 201213 yr "They told the Guardian they had to change into security gear in public, had no access to toilets for 24 hours, and were taken to a swampy campsite outside London after working a 14-hour shift in the pouring rain on the banks of the Thames on Sunday" Good Lord, even convicted prisoners have more human rights and are treated with more dignity than this...... <_< <_< Then they should have just refused to do it. Shouldn't have gone in the first place.
June 5, 201213 yr God Save The Queen!!!! :cheer: Oh and shut up Scott. You rant about everyone and everything. When you've done even a fraction as much for this country as Her Majesty has then you can spout your rubbish. :angry: Excuse me while I cut a few ribbons and survive for sixty years with the world's best healthcare and call that doing a lot for a country.
June 5, 201213 yr Excuse me while I cut a few ribbons and survive for sixty years with the world's best healthcare and call that doing a lot for a country. She gets the same healthcare as the rest of us. I believe Philip is in an NHS hospital right now and was at Christmas. The Queen attends NHS hospitals too. She's been very healthy so that's why she's reached 86. Edited June 5, 201213 yr by Common Sense
June 5, 201213 yr Ahhh, yes 2012, the Olympics and Jubilee year... We should all be "proud to be British", proud to serfs, proud to be peasants, proud to be treated like slaves and shit on more like.... I'm ASHAMED of my country, I feel no pride at all, only a sense of rage that we've allowed this to come to pass and the fact that most of our so-called "media" has been a narcoleptic coma, the BBC and that arse-licking prick Nicholas Witchell has been spouting royalist propaganda for the past several days, no balance whatsoever, ignoring this scandal.... Question is now, what do we do about it....? If you're ashamed of your country and feel no pride in it then why don't you emigrate Scott? :rolleyes: There are many far worse countries than ours. Your post above would get you shot in some countries! :D Edited June 5, 201213 yr by Common Sense
June 5, 201213 yr She gets the same healthcare as the rest of us. I believe Philip is in an NHS hospital right now and was at Christmas. The Queen attends NHS hospitals too. She's been very healthy so that's why she's reached 86. Are you honestly telling me you don't think she has a private doctor? And you're wrong. The King Edward VII Hospital is one of the best private hospitals in the world, and it's where he is now.
June 5, 201213 yr Are you honestly telling me you don't think she has a private doctor? Yes she does but she always goes in NHS hospitals for treatment. Check if you don't believe me.
June 5, 201213 yr Yes she does but she always goes in NHS hospitals for treatment. Check if you don't believe me. Strange that she apparently does yet Phillip doesn't. But excuse me for not believing you given you just stated outright that you believed Phillip to be in an NHS hospital right now.
June 5, 201213 yr Don't be silly Tyron, Prince Phil doesn't go to NHS hospitals in case he encounters one of those immigrants he's so fond of.
June 5, 201213 yr Author Then they should have just refused to do it. Shouldn't have gone in the first place. Did you read the whole piece? They were only told at 11.00 on a Saturday night when they were told they weren't going to be paid - in contrast to what they had been told before. Who were they supposed to contact for advice on whether they might lose their benefits? They knew that if they refused, they could kiss goodbye to the chance to work at the Olympics. As for your comment to Scott, perhaps you could list a) What you have contributed to the country over the last 30 years b) What HM the Q has contributed over the last 60 years.
June 5, 201213 yr Author Yes she does but she always goes in NHS hospitals for treatment. Check if you don't believe me. What, and sleeps in a ward with a load of other patients? Don't be so stupid.
June 5, 201213 yr I literally just said he was in a private hospital now! :lol: Wasn't there when I posted. #MutlipleTabSyndrome
June 6, 201213 yr ...and after four days of sycophancy, brown-nosing and presenting lies as fact that would do North Korea or Stalinist Russia proud, the BBC finally manages to catch up with the real story... Unfortunately a lot later than everyone else..... Which is AMAZING really, considering the amount of reporters and cameras they've had around Central London since about Thursday... How on Earth did The Guardian, Independent, etc, manage to scoop them....? Oh, I know, must be that "willful blindness" thing that Rupert and James Murdoch suffer from...... :rolleyes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18329526 Chris, I'm not even gonna bother replying to your pathetic, irrelevant posts.... Decided not to feed the Troll...... -_-
June 6, 201213 yr Q - What's the difference between the Diamond Jubilee and the Parades in North Korea for Kim the Younger......? A - One is a sycophantic glorification of a ruler who has done nothing to earn their position of power and influence in their own right and has merely inherited that position from a dead ruler who themselves inherited it from someone else; denies the rights of people to be citizens in their own country and calls them "subjects", and is wrapped up in a completely uncritical and partial system of state propaganda which zombifies and stupefies the masses into exhibiting the appropriate response through a process of mass conditioning that would make Pavlov swell with pride......The other, is a military parade in Pyongyang for Kim the Younger...... GAWD bless yer ma'am, and remember, we're all in this together...... *now sits back and waits for Chris to have an aneurysm* :rolleyes:
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