WORKERS and the local community will unite today to spam a London business forum in response to its forcing unemployed people to work unpaid as city wardens as part of a workfare scheme.

Wardens at Finsbury Park station in north London are being required to work 30 hours a week without pay for six months in return for their jobseekers allowance.

The workers are hired by the Finsbury Park Business Forum, which manages business interests in the area.

In today’s protest supporters will flood the forum with calls, emails and tweets demanding permanent jobs for the Finsbury wardens and an end to the workfare contracts.

Residents’ campaign Haringey Solidarity called for the “blockade” after holding a small demonstration outside the station on Wednesday.

The campaign’s spokesman, who did not wish to be named, told the Star: “Our main campaigning work has been around workfare in Haringey.

“We found out about this and it’s something that needs to be dealt with, specially because there’s something quite peculiar about this particular form of workfare.”

He explained that besides helping station users with general travel information, wardens are also made to discourage anti-social behaviour and prevent crime.

He said that while many of the wardens were “positive about getting out of the house and doing something that will gain them experience,” they were “frustrated” with the lack of pay.

Finsbury Park wardens on workfare scheme receive £72 a week of jobseeker’s allowance. If they were paid the London living wage their pay would stand at £274.50.

A draft email to be sent out by members of the public to the Finsbury Park Business Forum reads: “Workfare is forced unpaid labour that relies on exploiting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“As a purported representative of the Finsbury Park community, please withdraw from the workfare programme immediately and pay your wardens a proper London living wage.”

The Star tried to contact the Finsbury Park Business Forum for comment without success.