When you leave school, you bave to go and sign and join the ranks of the unemployed, gou wi n at the Labour Exchange. If they inform you & be described as an idler, a layabout -as if you of your rights, you will be seht either to a job, vote desperisible for the fact they she capitalis (unlikely) or down to the Ministry of Social system an its Panious adininistrators.a Security to claim supplementary bepents 199, incapablesof providing safficient jobs I cove Ministry of Social Security has a simple messages up this capability by slandering the people if you are unfortunafe enough to be deme * for whom it canhot provide employment. ployed: it is servility and obedience. They will The first principle governing the apitade of deny that you are entitled to any beneff, nake Spartacus League towards the unemployed you wait for hour upon hour, treat you type of parasite. You will ask yourself Spys 36 is the first step, if they are ever to get the didn't they teach me about these things in benefits supposedly guaranteed to them under school? Why was I only told aboutemploymen the Various Social Security Acts, To this end; possibilities?" The answer lies in the type of " you will see that in muly areas members of the society in which we live -Capilalism. This system Spartacus Ledgde ad active in the only existing has established certain priorities, and works orgagisation of the unemployed; that is the according to certain laws, Its profits, you will. Claimaits Union: Howeves, we argue that it is leam, are more important than any consideration insufficient-just, to organise the unemployed in for individual needs or even humanity. While Unions so as to gain their rights. What is neces Heath goes yachting, thousands of pas ple sit at sary is to drastically increase those rights and home without a shilling for the g finally to abolish the situation in which food to eat. You will see some of 800,000 or mare people can be, without jobs. when you claim your benefits. This moans smashing the system which has In your locality, there may well exist a Union, proved incapable of providing jobs. We want a to fight for your rights under Social Security- system whete the priorities arémot profit, with it will be called a Claimants Union, It is a Union the inevitable side effects of degradation, of people in a similar situation to your own, unemployment, and misery. We want a system but who understand what your rights are and where the priotties are the interests of the how to fight for them. If you join the Union, working class. you will be able to achieve your rights much This task, and indeed, in this situation, even faster than if you try to win them on your own. increasing benefits, cannot be achieved without Most of the Unions in the localities stand for working towards the unity of the unemployed what they call the "Claimants Charter". It contains four points: TAKE THIS TO THE 1. The right to adequate income without means test for all people. PERSONNEL MANAGER AT 2. A free welfare state for all with its services * RUNDRUN MACHINE TOOLS controlled by the people who use it. 3. No secrets and the right to full information. LTD." YOU WILL LEARH 4. No distinction between the so-called A GOOD TRADE THERE. "deserving" and "undeserving.".
When you are down at the Labour Exchange, you might well get a leaflet from the Child Poverty Action Group or some other Charity Organisation, claiming that they can help you obtain your rights. These charities are advice bureaux run by liberals, no doubt with good CAREERS intentions, but in the business basically to salve -OFFICER their consciences. The Claimants' Union is not comparable to such organisations. It stands for the self-activity of the membership: claimants working together to fight for their rights, representing each other at the Social Security, WELL I'M AFRAiD and at Appeals Tribunals, pooling information and experience, organising collective action. THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM The Social Security is a highly discriminatory SONNY - NOT HINE. system. It discriminates against the young I'VE DONE WHAT (lower allowances the younger you are). It dis criminates against unmarried women with CAN TO HELP.. children. It discriminates against single unskilled men. In addition, it operates under a series of rules and regulations which no one else is allowed to see: for example, the "A code, which is classified under the Official Secrets Act. By reference to this code, the Supplementary Benefits officers can cut your benefits; without informing you of the reasons-in this situation you have no rights.
The benefits that are granted under the Social Security system (see below) do not enable you to lead a life of luxury, In fact-they need to be drastically increased--but the trend I'M HERE TO TELL HANS of the past few years has been for successive governments to attack these benefits and intro You now To duce new rules. It was the Labour government WORK FOR which, in 1968, introduced the notorious fourweek rule, cutting off supplementary benefit af YOUR LVING. to unemployed unskilled single men between the ages of 18 and 45 if they had not found a job after four weeks. The Tory government is in the process of introducing a Bill reducing striking workers' benefits by £3 or so, and has set up a Commission to investigate so-called abuses of the Social Security system. These measures of course are backed pip by. 1 i a hysterical press campaign against what they, variously call scroungers, loafers, ete. -living. we are told off the hacke of tha nukli, That A TOB -SECURE, GOVERNMENT STUPiD OLD FOOL-WHAT'S THE USE OF TELLING US ABOUT JOBS WHEN THERE AREN'T ANY?
MORE I'M NOT HERE TO TELL YOU HOW TO SPONGE OFF SOCiETY...
WE CAN'T GET WORK SO WE WANT TO KNOW HOW TO GET OUR RIGHTS!
----- pull-quotes -----
REDUNDANCY, 1, 560, doe UNEMPLOYED CAN I GET UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT THEN?