Homebase hammered over unpaid labour at its Willesden store

Following insider information that Willesden Homebase (now owned by Argos)  was still using unpaid labour through the Coalition's Workfare scheme it was picketed today by Brent Housing Action, Brent Fightback and Kilburn Unemployed Workers.

The protesters pointed out to customers that people should be paid at least a living wage for the job they are asked to do. Being forced to work for no pay, with the threat that benefits will be removed for non-compliance, just makes matters worse.

With the Homebase and Argos parent group, Home Retail Group, expecting £80m profit this year, they can afford to pay their workers. After all they can afford to pay their CEO £1.1m while at the same time cutting overtime and hours at its Haringey store.

At least one customer decided not to shop at Homebase after hearing the protesters' case and others reduced their purchases. One customer's children started a spontaneous chant of 'Homebase-pay your workers'. Customers were generally responsive and shared their own stories of housing and employment difficulties.

The campaign is asking people to:

• Boycott Homebase until they agree to pay staff properly
• Speak to the manager of the Willesden branch and say you don't agree with them using unpaid labour
• Contact Homebase HQ on 0845 603 6677 or 01908 692 301 or info@homebase.co.uk

Visit new Barham pop up library today and donate books etc

A message from Friends of Barham Library

After another busy week of repairs and decorating we are slowly getting our new premises at 428 High Road Wembley (near Argos) ready.

We opened last Saturday and were please to see many of our regulars and some new faces. Without realising it we kept going until almost 6pm..

We have decided to extend our opening hours on Saturdays to between 11am. to 4pm. and see how we get on. We are also planning extra openings during the week and preparing a Volunteer Rota. If you are willing to help by spending a few hours as a Volunteer please reply to this email stating the days of week and times that can help on a regular basis.

If you have not yet been please come an visit us this coming Saturday. Our Volunteer Library is a few doors down from Argos and plenty of buses stop outside. Parking is very limited as it is all allocated to the shops and flats above.

Now that the inside of the Library is being organised we are once again able to accept donations of books, CDs, DVDs, Computer Games in reasonable condition. Either bring them along or email us to arrange a collection. Just give us your name, address, phone number and best time for a pick up.

As always please pass the word and encourage others to visit and join us.

Now we are all free workers for supermarkets

The Guardian recently publicised the plight of young workers forced to work up to 30 hours a week for no pay for Poundland, Argos, Sainsbury's, Tesco and other business. Ostensibly for work experience this does not necessarily lead to a job and can last for up to two months before others are brought in to replace them. If they express an interest, and don't stop work during a week's cooling off period, they are liable to lose their benefits if they leave.

Free workers for profit-making supermarkets!

But I'd like to focus how we are all becoming 'volunteer workers' for supermarkets. I always avoid  self-service checkouts because I think they take away people's jobs. Yes there's someone there at a bank of six automatic checkouts to help out - but that's not the same as six cashiers.

However I am finding it hard to exercise my choice of being served by a human being who gets  wage. At Wembley ASDA those people holding up a green pointing hand to show you to a checkout, also try and persuade you to go to the self-service checkouts - especially if you just have a basket.

I got into quite an argument the other day when the 'persuading' turned particularly pushy.  It turned into an argument about preserving jobs at a time of high unemployment and attracted quite a lot of interest.

 But worse was to come. In the last couple of days I have been in shops where you can't exercise the choice at all as there was no cashiers at their desks at all.

At the Coop in Central Square there was just the self-service checkouts available and a single member of staff flitting about and available occasionally to help wrestle with the computer.  At Tesco in Neasden shopping precinct at 4.30pm in the afternoon there was just the security guard and shelf-fillers with customers all lined up at the self-service and having a one sided conversation with the robot voice: 'Unknown item in the despatch area' kept ringing out across the store. There was no one to help any elderly or confused unable to handle the technology. For the lonely one more source of human contact has gone.

We have become more free workers for profit-making supermarkets!

I feel a campaign coming on....