to think most part-time workers don't know what's about to hit them?! (Universal Credit)

[aufaniae]

Do you work part-time and get Working Tax Credit or Housing Benefit?

Did you know that once you're on Universal Credit, you'll be expected to attend the Job Centre to prove that you're looking for better paid work / more hours, in much the same way as unemployed people must prove they're looking for work.

If the Job Centre find an interview for you, you will have to attend (with 48 hours notice) even if it clashes with your paid work.

If you are offered a job with more hours, or better pay than your current one, you will be obliged to take it, even if you have good reason for not wanting to e.g. it's only a temporary post (whereas your current one is permanent) / has no training & worse prospects than your current job / makes picking your children up from school impossible / requires you to travel much further / has nothing to do with the career you're following.

If you don't attend the interview and/or take the job, your UC will be sanctioned, you will lose the UC for months or even years (depending on if it's your first infraction).

You will be forced to continue "upgrading" your job until you earn the equivalent of minimum wage for 35 hours a week.

I suspect there are lots of people (e.g. parents who work part time so they can pick their kids up from school) who will be affected by this, but don't realise it yet.

More info here

garlic would you keep things the way they are? Why is the system so ridiculous?

Hell, no, I wouldn't keep things the way they are! This isn't the thread for floating imaginary political ideas, though.

The system is ridiculous because it's predicated on two falsehoods: [1] There is plenty of work; [2] Those who claim benefits are lazy, scrounging shysters who've got to be kicked off their greedy arses.

I find [2] especially revealing, as Cameron claimed DLA for Ivan despite having no need for the money. The steady flow of MPs expenses scams and undeclared interests, etc, right down to their impassioned defence of their 70% restaurant subsidy, indicates that their own grasping attitude has informed their assumptions about the people who pay them - and their expenses.

The Welfare Reforms involve heavy-handed interference, patronising micro-management and detailed monitoring. They are paying big corporations £billions of taxpayers' money to carry this out (ineptly.) Are those corporations improving our lives, collectively or individually? I don't see it.

I have a science degree so have applied for jobs as science technician, cleaner in local factory and again in hospital, assistant in bakers, doctor's receptionist, hotel receptionist, admin assistant, call centre operator, applied to Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Aldi, Lidl and Boots, warehouse assistant amongst others. I suppose that's not enough for you though, over 700 jobs so far on top of working, studying and being a mum yet I am still lazy. It is not how much you earn that indicates how hard you work.

I'm not trying to suggested your lazy lazybastard

I've already done that fairy but still nothing one of the applications I actually got a reply for said they'd had over 250 applications.

There won't be more PT jobs IMO, since there are not enough FT jobs people will need 2 if not more PT jobs.

Well in that case lazy I'm sorry things are so shit for you and I hope something comes up soon

What do you mean skullcandy?

I'm not sure I understand what you meant, but if you claim child tax credits then you do claim benefits, and you will be one of the people expected to upgrade.

I agree with you though that its not a bad thing if more part time jobs become available for people that don't claim benefits. But there does need to be full time work available for people, or there won't be more people getting part time jobs, there will be more individuals that have two part time jobs.

skull you will be affected cb and ctc are types of benefit.

I love this persistent faith that there are jobs if you'd only make more effort or a different effort!

4,890,930 people receiving key benefits.
389,889 unfilled vacancies.

www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/gor/2092957698/report.aspx

So, when the unfilled vacancies are all filled, what is it that the other 4.5 million are doing wrong, exactly?

garlic - in which case very few people are going to be affected. They will only sanction if people refuse a better paid job, or refuse to apply. If people are applying for work but being turned down then they will still get UC despite being below the earnings threshold.

My son is 18 and had his first p/time job over xmas at sainsburys. He loved it earned money for once and got on well with everyone. Once it was over it was over and his boss said this year was the first time ever that they hadn't been able to keep on any of the xmas staff as saturday or evening. There are just no jobs

Im a lone parent to a five year old, no school clubs, before or after, childcare is quite scarce where i live, but while shes at school, i could easily do 24 hours a week, if my commute wasnt too long. im on the mandatory work scheme as im on CSA, im doing 20 hours. I just wonder what will happen if i cant find childcare an issue somedays. i dont have any friends or family who can do it, as they all work too, if they could make it feasible with hours, or childcare more available it might not be so bad, and maybe if there were jobs available, that offered more than 24 hours. This is why i hope to get term time work.

The problem for me is there is only one thing more soul destroying and humiliating than job hunting and that's attending the job centre for someone to point out what a failure you are. I've only been there 3 times and they were not good experiences.

Speaking of which how are they going to fit in that many appointments? Bet they haven't thought of that.

We had someone apply to our workplace (residential dementia home) for a job as a carer and they weren't even considered because they had a degree. The reason being that they would probably move on when they got a better offer
So out of work graduates may not even stand a chance to work part time.

Lazy, oh boy, do i know of that experience, life sucking sneerers, makes me shudder.

Am with garlicblocks

Exactly feet that's why some of us end up going against our nature and lie on our CVs.

Why don't some posters seem to understand the concept of a depression? I know it's technically being called a triple dip recession, but we are staring at a depression

One of the things that happens in a depression is - there aren't a lot of jobs

This is not an individual failing. Unemployment in a depression is not a personal issue, it is a societal issue.

I agree with the poster who said some of these posts smack of 'let them eat cake'

IfNotNow - excellent post. Yes, this is an ideological war, it will not save money, nor is it about saving money, it is about shifting the terms of reference.

The post-war changes would never have happened if the tories had been re-elected after the war. Now we are heading back to the pre-war settlement - big business is looked after, we are left to fend for ourselves. We do not have to accept this.

Working people are not paying taxes just for benefits Why does everyone think that?? OO because that is what your told!! Get some sense.

The government refuse to admit this is a depression and has been for a while because they don't want panic or revolt from the general public - or to be more precise, loose THEIR jobs from a vote of no confidence. They will use and abuse ANY bunch of figures they can come up with to lessen the blow each quarter and the only way they have been able to do this so far is with the word "recession". A double dip recession, soon in my opinion to be a tripple dip, is bad enough, a tripple dip will only cause them to argue amongst themselves further and not actually takle the problem that is staring us all in the face. Banks and big businesses.

Anyone with an once of common sense knows we are in a depression and will be for a long time yet and we can all sit here and find a hundred ways or more to get us out of it but until big business and banks start pulling their weight and actually start seeing the bigger picture, we are screwed.

This is my opinion and I recognise it has it's faults, maybe many, so don't shoot me.

so this is the reality of me having to work more hours at short notice

I work 24 hours in a mw job

I work set hours, I've asked for more hours for ages but am told every week there is no more to be had

So I go into work and get told by the job centre I need to go for an interview tomorrow for another job

So as well as scrabbling together childcare ( I have no family here to help out), I tell my present employer I wont be in tomorrow for a few hours as I need to attend an interview

My boss is pissed off, she needs to get an agency in to cover me which costs the company double what they pay me, she starts to see me as unreliable and is put off offering me more hours if they ever became available

So do I get paid at work for the few hours I'm attending an interview the job centre has found for me?? Do I hell, my work dont pay sick pay, they wont pay me for an interview as me claiming UC isnt their problem.

So I earn £6.19 an hour, I pay someone to mind the kids whilst I leave early for this interview, I dont get paid for the hours I missed at work....and I'm now being seen as unreliable at my job.

And this is progress?

Except that won't happen, because if your child is under 12, you won't be sent for interviews by the job centre because you just said you are working 24 hours.

ssd it said up thread that rules say you do not have to attend interviews with job centre or for a new job which interfere with your present paid work, this has been said a few times but there is conflicting info on thread re what is going to happen as government changed mind

also for a nurse to have to leave nursing job to mop floors they would have to be working very few hours as even entry level ursing is at least 2.5 times NMW