Expected to attend UC interview while working

[WellThisIsStupid]

We claimed UC as we were migrated from tax credits (we only got CTC as DH earned too much for WTC).

The migration coincidentally occurred when DH was made redundant.

DH has been employed for a month. He had an interview with his work coach in the first week, which he cancelled due to being at work. This was fine.

His employment started in the middle of our assessment period, so the payment reflected that and clearly states the wages reported from his employer.

He has now been given another mandatory work commitment interview next week. He put a message on the journal saying that as already reported he is working and cannot attend.

I've just seen a message for him on the journal. It states that he still needs to attend. That he will have to go to these interviews until the HMRC confirm that he has been paid. Even then he will still need to attend until he has had his first wage!!!

The thing is he has ALREADY been paid; he gets wages, so is paid weekly, furthermore, they HAVE proof of his wages as they paid us less this month due to the wages reported by his employer!

They've said he needs to attend the phone appointment on Tuesday. He drives for a living! Can he realistically be expected to answer a call, whilst driving a bus load of children or pensioners?

Should he take the day off and lose his job? Is that what they expect?

He works 40+ hours a week Mon-Fri (5/6am - 6-7pm although it changes daily as it's ad hoc, he's had to work through the night on a couple of occasions and occasionally weekends), so there is no ability to make an appointment in advance.

I really don't know what to say to them. I've told him, but he's working and not replied, and I know he won't sign into his account at lunch time.

Have you checked whether your local council has a Welfare Rights / Money Advice service? This is the sort of scenario I would hope they could provide assistance/ advocacy with. Citizens Advice should also be able to assist.

It is absolutely outrageous when taking that phone call means losing your job or not having enough money to live on/pay rent/etc. (in OP's case, it sounds like they can manage, but people you see homeless or at foodbanks are often there as a result if these absurd rules — look at Trussel Trust statistics!).

OP, definitely make the carer claim. And if you can manage without the UC payment for a bit, try not to stress about it too much, just do what you can.

Both can be claimed. Carer's Allowance is deducted £ for £, but gives class 1 National Insurance Credits, which helps to protect your state pension, and contributes to some means-tested benefits such as Maternity Allowance, New Style Job Seeker's Allowance, etc. The carer's element of UC can be claimed in addition.

My children’s dad got called in for work search even though on journal I said he has just had a brain tumour removal n have consultant contact details letters etc.

falling on deaf ears.
so I went in with all proof etc and they did something about it to give him a grace period.

I claimed UC for a really short spell when I was eligible for the childcare element for DS’s nursery fees. It was an absolute fucking nightmare, putting it mildly. Spent hours and hours and hours doing admin for them. Found that you have to really spell out the necessary points in the journal, and on a few occasions I had to find the Universal Credit handbook, which is used by UC staff (available online helpfully) and direct them to the correct guideline, so they knew how to do their jobs properly. It was wild. I honestly don’t know how people cope who are 100% reliant on it. It’s a broken, faulty system.

They will not know he had been paid until his employer records the wages through the HMRC real time information system to confirm what they have paid. The employer should do this every time they issue him with a wage but some (esp. if they pay weekly) will do it once a month or wait for an accountant to do it. When the earnings are uploaded by employer to HMRC it informs UC overnight.

Also, if he has had a wage advance instead of an actual scheduled wage it may not show, as employer will almost definitely wait until normal payday and tell HMRC full entitlement. If he has only had a week or two week's earnings UC won't necessarily know he is working full time as wages lower than full month so they will bring him in as if he's a part time worker. Just use journal to inform he is at work and let them know if possible when he has a gap coming up in his day. Don't ignore it. A sanction will follow. The regime is very different from tax credit - a lot of people migrating from TC formerly ticking over in part time work and getting housing benefit are finding themselves horrified at being expected to increase their hours to reduce/wipe out benefit entitlement instead of ignored. Tax credit in some instances encouraged perverse behaviours - no point maximising hours if housing benefit just stops, I understand why someone wouldn't choose to up their hours in that situation either, but you can see the thought process.

He won't be sanctioned if working. Just needs to communicate with them after a missed appointment.

Do you really think that's possible when driving a coach??

Unfortunately the days of being able to Pop in to a job centre are long gone..it's appointment only and you've to confirm that with a security guard.
UC are hopeless if it deviates from their script when you phone.Its best to journal information and keep it factual and definitely no silly comments.

This answer is silly.

Not everyone's work can just authorise holiday at short notice.

Try the phone line. It doesn't go to the job centre, it's the "next level" so to speak, and they are usually better trained, with common sense and some intelligence, and can take actions the job centre lackeys can't do.
Chances are they will sort it out for you.

A reminder on the journal that he is a carer with No work related requirements may help. Also add that if he needs any appointment must be Saturday due to his work and caring commitments.

This question was not silly. It was a starting point, to see if there was a solution that the OP hadn't thought of.