to think its no wonder people stay on benefits?

[ruledbyheart]

My DP has started a new job getting the only job he has been offered after 1yr of trying, its only part time but we thought its better than nothing and at least he is willing to work.

He is working for a well known pizza franchise doing delivery and took the job on the basis he got a full 24hrs a week yet he is on week two and has only been given 16 so far.

He signed off job seekers to be told he won't receive anything other than the money leading up to sign off so we will have to survive for an entire month on my CTC and somehow live and pay billswith this.

He is eligible for WTC providing he gets the 24 hrs if not we aren't entitled to anything, without this we still have to pay extra on our rent and council tax out of his barely worth it wages.


However if we stayed on benefits we could afford to live no problems.

If his work doesn't give him the hours promised we will barely scrap by yet he couldn't leave and sign on again as he would be told he made himself unemployed.

So pissed off that we are worse off working.

There is no work locally and he struggled to get this.

I can't work at the moment as I'm pregnant and have 3dcs under 5yrs.

Aibu to think this is shit and we should have just saved the hassle and stayed on benefits?
No wonder people dont want to work.

[MiniTheMinx]

{{hugs}}

What can be done. Surely this zero hr culture needs to be stopped in its tracks. Like workfare its an attack upon the working class, devaluing work and therefore all of us. These businesses are amoral.

malinois so we have a two tier system where middle class educated women have protection from groping but working class lower paid women can be pawed at will. Not sexist I suppose, so what is it?

[NicknameTaken]

Sorry and hope it gets better. I agree that zero hours contracts are a shit way to way to treat employees. People talk about the need for benefit reform to make benefits less "attractive", but every bit as important (and arguably even more so) is reform of employment law to make work more attractive.

[MiniTheMinx]

Take no notice, OP congratulations on your miracle.

[akaemmafrost]

Do NOT explain your pregnancy OP. You don't have to do that!

[CloudsAndTrees]

I'm not judging, and you don't have to justify your circumstances to me.

But it might help you feel less like you are being 'got at' and penalised if you accept at least some responsibility for your own circumstances.

[EasilyBored]

And that's why drip feeding is annoying. Ffs.

I think you just have to keep asking for extra shifts and keep looking elsewhere. Has your DP talked to the job centre about what is going on?

[AmandaLF]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that if the boss tells him to go home he can refuse to go home.

Congratulations.

[Mabelface]

Zero hour and low hour contracts are the pits. I'm on a 10 hour contract, was doing 38 and am now down to 20. I've applied for a couple more jobs. Keep looking out there, get him to apply for jobs that he's not quite qualified for (might be training available) or anything. Check out agencies. I wish you the best of luck.

[alisunshine29]

If you are really better off on benefits than with him doing this job and his manager isn't going to give him the promised hours then I'd get him to 'accidentally' lose the job. Your children's welfare is what's most important, not his pride or what's morally right. I disagree with people that say working is all important to teach their children a good work ethic - you and your partner will be working most of their lives, they aren't going to hold a few months on benefits against you if it means you're all better off financially and emotionally.
Congratulations on your pregnancy by the way :-)

[malinois]

MiniTheMinx - yes, the majority of people on these zero hours contracts are women and young people. However, zero hours contracts are becoming increasingly common in skilled occupations too - notably in the NHS.

People are being put on zero hours contracts, or reclassified as self-employed contractors, all over the place and it's undermining a hundred years of progress in employment rights. Invariably, it's the most vulnerable that get shafted. It's often illegal, but people are too scared to make a fuss.

[malinois]

alisunshine The only way you can 'lose' a zero hours job is to resign. At which point you won't be entitled to JSA as you voluntarily gave up the job.

[MiniTheMinx]

malinois I can understand how this may have sneaked in under the radar with student and part time work but for this practice to be rolled out to adult workers and even qualified people is shocking.

I'm not in favour of people having to work 50 hrs a week to get by whilst others languish on benefits but surely at this rate state subsidies to workers will increase even further. Not good for workers not good for tax payers.....oh wait one and the same because these businesses avoid all the tax they can.

[runningforthebusinheels]

Lay off the op - she's being perfectly reasonable. Her dh should be better off working than on Job seekers.

(Hugs) OP and congratulations on your miracle baby. I was a bit at the 'how dare you get pregnant!' responses.

[akaemmafrost]

How is she drip feeding? Was she supposed to put the circumstances of her pregnancy in the OP? Why on earth would she do that? I don't suppose it occurred to her that anyone would be so rude as to question her about it.

[Kat101]

Citizens advice bureau. Clever people, might know of other options you could pursue. Worth a try as nothing to lose?

[ruledbyheart]

How am I drip feeding I didn't think the circumstances would be relevant until people started judging, Mumsnet is terrible for this I wouldn't go up to someone in RL and ask the circumstances of someone's pregnancy whilst they aren't working?

I don't see how me being pregnant is relevant to feeling like our system has fucked us over.

I worked up until I left EXH throughout mypregnancies and afterwards until I hadto leave through lack of childcare.
So didn't exactly put myself in this situation.

DP had a great job until he was made to leave through bullying and has spent the last year trying to get something/anything else whilst battling the depression caused by his previous employer.

I'm just fed up of trying to do whats right when we end up worse off for it.

We are private rented as council wouldn't help us and in turn the help we get with rent doesn't cover the actual rent so have to find the money to pay the extra, plus all utilities and living costs whilst only receiving CTC and DPs (when he finally does get paid) tiny wage (so far he has worked 5days and earned less than £150).

[LittleTyga]

Hi Ruledby,

Your partner should be entitled to working tax credits - have you asked about those? Also Housing benefit and Council tax benefit. I was also under the impression that he should get a £200 bonus for going back to work - don't quote me as it may have stopped now but certainly he needs to talk to HMRC about WTC.

I know it's hard but at least while he has a job he can keep a look out for another job and employers prefer those who have current experience wich will put him higher up the pile of applications.

Good luck

[alisunshine29]

Surely if he didn't turn up for work/ate all the pizzas (!) Then he'd be fired? Or would he be penalised if fired?

[andubelievedthat]

Pack "job"(,zero hours?wtf?) go to doctor , tell doc he is losing it re stress , claim said benifit , then ,if nec , go back onto jsa , ignore all cat"s bum faced posters on here who will ,for reasons (usually bitter reasons)known only to themselves attempt to give you and your fella a hard time of it >it is like a jungle out there ....

[ticketstub]

OP, I really feel sorry for you in this situation. I've recently been trying to help a friend who is a single parent to get a job and completely identify with the difficulties getting a job when you have a limited CV and are shy etc (which my friend is).

We had a similar issue where my friend was offered a job and we agreed 20 hours a week with the employer (another fast food chain). We asked about contracts and at the last minute they mentioned it was a zero hours contract.

Nightmare! I didn't know about such contracts till them so we did some internet research and saw how awful they are when benefits need to be claimed and declined the job.

And we have definitely learnt a lesson that no matter what the manager says unless they put the hours in a contract then we will not accept a job - which is ridiculous and sad when my friend is desperate to work.

Can you go to the Citizens Advice Bureau and ask for advice? I know previous posters have said it is difficult to resign from a zero hours job. I know its not ideal but could you and your partner separate so that you can still claim benefits until his hours increase or he finds another job?

I hate zero hours contracts and would love to sign a petition or lend support to a campaign against them - if anyone knows of any such campaigns against them then please could you let me know.

[badbride]

I'm sorry things are so hard for you at the moment and I hope your DP manages to get more hours soon.

I can completely understand why you would feel frustrated and depressed by the current situation. But I have to disagree with the folk who are suggesting that your DP find a way lose this job.

Things are hard now, but I think your DP's having a job will be better in the long run. At least he now has the opportunity to work his way up to a better job within the company, or to get a better job somewhere else. It is generally much easier to get a job if you already have one.

Hang in there and good luck.

[Darkesteyes]

If hes not getting the 24 hrs then its not actually the job that he applied for is it??!!

[morethanpotatoprints]

Hello OP, my 21 old ds has the same job and hours can't be guaranteed unfortunately.
I know your dh has tried hard to find work and I feel sorry for you, that is why I had to respond. They promised my ds regular hours, I think he only needed about 16 as he has 2 other jobs as well. He hardly ever works for them now, the hours just got fewer and fewer.
Your dh needs to look for more work as the hours just aren't there with these companies.

[malinois]

alisunshine29 It's actually expensive to fire people - you need to make sure you've followed the right procedure, get HR involved, and there's always the risk that you get taken to tribunal for wrongful dismissal.

On a zero hours contract, you simply stop giving hours to people you don't want working for you any more. It costs you nothing, and there is no risk of a wrongful dismissal as you haven't actually dismissed them!