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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

... to think the gov can eff off if they think I'm going to do voluntary work?

283 replies

woollyideas · 07/02/2011 22:46

I'm really fed up with reading about this hypothetical army of volunteers who will run our libraries, patrol school crossings etc., etc. as part of the old Big Society thingmy. AIBU to think that if I was to be made redundant due to government cuts, I would prefer to lie in bed a bit later than usual, write, paint, read, bake cakes, stick two fingers up to the Condems, etc., after 30-odd years of working? Or do you think I should just pop along and be an unpaid slave happily work for nothing in a local school or something worthy?

What would you do?

OP posts:
usualsuspect · 08/02/2011 20:26

has*

Mists · 08/02/2011 20:32

DH said last night taht for all the crap Thatcher was responsible for she did create wealth.

Unless you happened to be a miner or in any traditional British Industry, steel, shipyards, autos Hmm

He must be looking at the bigger picture. I remember my parents becoming quite affluent given their humble start in life but they walked into their jobs early on and then blagged their way up the ladder too.

My Dad for example can't write a letter unless it is in scrawled capitals and has no engineering qualifications. No qualifications at all in fact but when he was in his forties he was a higher-rate tax-payer. Working in engineering project management.

My parents live in the S.E and positively flourished throughout those years. They welcomed the Poll Tax, oh yes, until they had to pay the lot themselves Grin

They think that my generation should take to the streets in protest against the Tories and that we are lazy in that respect.

Which is a bit rich given that my parents voted for them. Twice. And reaped the rewards at the expense of people in other parts of the country.

expatinscotland · 08/02/2011 20:34

I'll volunteer to vote these fuckers out.

BITCAT · 08/02/2011 20:38

i dont believe that those that have lost there jobs through not fault of there own and are decent people that are actively looking for work should be forced to take on unpaid work..if they choose to volunteer to keep busy whilst looking or just wanna help out..thats fine.
Those however that sit on there backsides, popping out children every year, with no intention of ever getting a job to care for there family. These people should however be forced to do some work for there benefits, why should they get it for free. We work hard and pay taxes, which funds there benefits so why shouldnt we get summat back for it.

LaWeaselMys · 08/02/2011 20:39

The problem is every protest that has been tried so far has

a) had no impact on policy at all.
b) managed to turn the general public against the cause.

Feels a lot like fucked if you fight fucked if you don't.

QueenBathsheba · 08/02/2011 20:47

Me too.

Many essential services are already contracted out to private companies, its only a matter of time before these "competetive" profit driven companies try to make up their staff with free labour. The businesses may offer the tax payer (those of us who will still be in work!) a cost effecient service but at the expense of quality and off the back of an exploited workforce.

What next, an exploited, barely skilled labour force good enough to care for children with disabilities, free labour subsidising big profits in the city. Its no joke.

DH works for a private hospital as a psych nurse. The commissioning all comes through NHS. Patricia Hewitt saw to it that the area they specialise in was effectively privatised. No suprise to find out some time later that she is on the board of the private equity firm that owns the hospital.

MarioandLuigi · 08/02/2011 20:49

I have a friend who works for our local Parent Partnership at the (conservative)County Council. She is being made redundant and has been asked to come back on a voluntary basis. I am Angry on her behalf that they would even do this to her, but also feel so sorry for her as she loves her job and would actually go back and volunteer had they not treated her so badly - there are 10 members of staff and they all are entitled to apply for 2 PT jobs.

Mumcentreplus · 08/02/2011 20:53

really have the general public been against the 'cause'? only if you read the DM or The Sun...or have half a brain-cell..actually I feel quite insulted by this goverment...

LaWeaselMys · 08/02/2011 21:05

mumcentreplus - if you think of things like the student protests, there was a huge negative backlash. Sadly.

HerBeX · 08/02/2011 21:13

The most appalling thing about it, is that it s women who are expected to do all this free labour.

Necessary work that you know really is socially essential, but that you don't want to pay for? Get a woman to do it.

Fuck that.

If it comes to being forced to "volunteer" for Sainsbury's, there are millions of ways to sabotage them. I can't imagine proper companies actually wanting forced labour actually, there are too many ways a) the labour force could fuck them (imagine how lovely it would be being so incompetent that the #140 worth of shopping that woman's just bought has only totted up to #10) and b) it simply is not worth it in terms of the bad publicity, boycotts etc.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 08/02/2011 21:14

Yes, seriously.

So sack physios, OTs, TAs, EWOs, portage workers, nurses, skilled admin staff etc and then get them to work for free stacking shelves and working on the tills.

Meantime, those who would quite fancy a job in Sainsburys (because there is nothing wrong with working in a supermarket) cant get a job because there are not vacancies.

My job is one which is at risk. Its also one that people are queing up to do for nothing (portage work). I would do it for nothing TBH but I cannot afford to. I fully expect our service to be cut to the bone and one part time person kept on to manage all the volunteers. Hmm

HerBeX · 08/02/2011 21:15

Can we organise a boycott of Sainsbury's then?

Seriously if they are employing women and not paying them, they are even more fucking evil than I thought.

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 08/02/2011 21:16

Nothing to add except I misread Condems for Condoms............

expatinscotland · 08/02/2011 21:25

Government by big business, using compulsory 'volunteers' to work for free for big business.

That's an extreme form of capitalism known as fascism.

QueenBathsheba · 08/02/2011 21:37

Spot on Expat. I always thought Geogie Porgie looked a bit menacing.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 08/02/2011 21:39

I am all for it. But I would check the facts first. I have been told by my friend who is a single mum. She is looking for work now her DD is at school but her friend has been at Sainsburys for some time because she didnt get into work. I have no reason not to believe her. She is a sensible sort. But knowing the speed that things can get going on MN I would want it officially verified first Grin

HerBeX · 08/02/2011 21:51

Yes, absolutely. Grin

QueenBathsheba · 08/02/2011 21:53

I have just found something about volunteering at sainsburys on a web forum called the student room. Seems that students can get work exp but can't find anything else.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 08/02/2011 21:57

Do you think they would advertise it though? If people are sent there via job centre?

As far as I know it happened because her children were over the age set by the government now (is it 7?). She either couldnt find a job or didnt want to and was told she had to do a certain amount of weeks voluntary work. But last time I spoke to my mate this woman was still there!

I dont know how these things work tbh.

pointythings · 08/02/2011 22:07

This should be very simple.

If the work is real work that needs doing, it should be paid at minimum wage rate. It should not be done by someone on Jobseeker's allowance doing it in order to get their benefits because that would be slavery, and we abolished this some time ago. Unless the ConDems have reinstated it, that is.

And actually, if they wantt o get the long-term unemployed into work, forcing them to do the work might actually be a godo idea, but only if you pay at least minimum wage - better still, whatever the going rate for that job is.

And deal with the pitiful provision of childcare too.

There is a reason why the phrase Big Society starts with BS

HerBeX · 08/02/2011 22:19

I am working on a long list of how to sabotage ruthless supermarkets.

Stamping wrong sell by dates on
Putting cakes in the freezer
Accidentally putting freezer stuff in the cake aisle
Dropping wine bottles
Placing things that fuck up the self-service tills - oh, sorry, you don't need to do that do you, they're permanently fucked up

I can't believe that the job centre are allowed to send people to sainsbury's to work for nothing. I just can't believe it. And I can't believe that sainsbury's would tarnish their brand by getting involved with such a scheme. Now if were Tesco, I wouldn't put it past them, but Sainsbury's? Surely not.

Asteria · 08/02/2011 22:20

I'm happy to volunteer, but only for a worthy cause - not a big company that wants skivvys.
Currently I do home visits for a charity which supports elderly people who wish to remain in their own homes. I have also started helping out with an armed forces families charity.
Meanwhile back at home I am stuffing myself with cake and reading lots! Grin

QueenBathsheba · 08/02/2011 22:58

Reducing almost all the fresh food to silly prices.
Plastic spiders in with the bananas
Stock rotation.....put all the old stuff at the back of the shelves.
Offer to work on the deli and give freebies

I wonder why they need volunteers when they could simply have more self service tills. These don't need training, they don't take tea breaks, they don't require supervision or 10% staff discount cards.

GetOrfMoiLand · 08/02/2011 23:10

Christ that is shocking re Sainburys.

This government is fucking evil. And Cameron has played a good hand so far, he has managed to deflect most of the hatred onto Clegg.

What were people thinking voting that shower in?

plupervert · 08/02/2011 23:17

Volunteers and voluntary services have their place.

However, there are certain public services which need to be run by paid, accountable people, who can be disciplined for misconduct or abuse or discrimination. Public services have become public/ were taken into public hands precisely because they are sensitive and it was politically important to be providing and controlling them. Health, education, sanitation, etc. These things can make or break the reputation of a government and a society, so "civilised" societies guarantee them by making them public services. (Sorry for the circular argument, but it needed to be tied up).

Moreover, voluntarism flourishes when people feel at home in their society, either because they feel secure and happy, identify with their community and want to help, or because there is an external threat (e.g. wartime). Mass redundancies, threats of public services cuts (so people will have to pay more for their services) simply demoralise people (reducing the caring impulse of volunteering) or make them feel too insecure to offer the extra hours (work will have to come first, and extra hours will be "volunteered" there!) or piss them off so much they withdraw from society.