Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

As a regular Homebase customer I was pretty disappointed to read this in today's Guardian:
http://m.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/apr/06/homebase-criticised-wo...

Why are the jobcentres helping Homebase at a time when a lot of our Haringey community centres are in trouble and closing down? I find it hard to see how this is 'of benefit to the community', as this scheme is supposed to be. Surely this is effectively subsidizing Homebase with taxpayers money at a time when a lot of our community funding has been cut. I'd be interested to know who makes the decisions as to where work scheme participants go - looks like Finsbury park jobcentre in this case. I'm thinking it may be worth a letter to them (and Homebase).

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agreed

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*nod* I was pretty depressed to hear that they were using this horrible scheme but yes, not at all surprised. The staff in there don't know the first thing about DIY and I had wondered if any of them were there through choice.

Well of course they dont know about anything.  They are doing the job, cos its the only one they can get.
They have no choice.  The dole will hound them into any job, regardless of experience or skills.
The pay is so low, it gives no desire to take pride in your job.
And with that, you cant expect a good service.

Im not just talking about Homebase, Im talking about most customer related jobs.  Even ya average sweet shop owner, does not know about the products they sell.

But thats capitalism for ya.  When money is put first above anything else.
You reap what you sow.

Of course I will be boycotting Homebase for such actions.

Did I say anything to the contrary?

nope :)  Just expanding on the reasons.  Wasnt an attack on you or anything like that. <3

" The pay is so low, it gives no desire to take pride in your job. "

" But thats capitalism for ya.  When money is put first above anything else "

Don't you see the contradiction here ? You can't take pride in your job without decent pay ? I think people can be better than that.

In principal, there's something to be said for that, yes. I don't think it's helpful to dismiss the entire idea on the basis of how shoddily it's being done in reality.

Thing is though, nothing they are tasked with is likely to be terribly useful, and very few people get a job at the end of it. Particularly if, as Rachella says, it's now the norm for them to take unpaid workers.

It also probably means that as long as Homebase can get workers for free it is less likely to actually hire people for pay.

AGREED!! OMG This has made me sooooo mad!! 

Go Lynbo's instead http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/three-good-reasons-to-p... - Support your local traders/don't support slavery!! 

Lynbo's is great, lovely and have pretty much everything, yes, go there!

Merged at the request of the poster:

Homebase (Harringay Store) criticised over work experience claims

Posted by Seema Chandwani on April 6, 2013 at 17:10 

Why can't a big national company like Homebase offer paid work opportunities for people in Haringey? The way they have promoted this is sick!

Unite, Britain's largest union, said the Homebase internal document had let "the cat out of the bag," adding that the entire scheme smacked of "state sponsored slavery."

Full article in the Guardian here.

Arghhhh wanted to include this link to another HoL article:

Three good reasons to put another great local store to put on your ... (Now 4 good reasons) :)

This is wrong of Homebase. It devalues the workers alongside whom the unpaid are working. It's of small but unjustifed benefit to the shareholders of the Home Retail Group  (a listed company and owner of Homebase and other titles). The work is probably low skilled. It gives Homebase a bad reputation. It gives the State a bad reputation.

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