I haven't committed any crime like this woman has, so why do I have to do 120 hours of unpaid work?

[DeadWomanWalking]

Woman sentenced to 215 hours of unpaid work for committing benefit fraud. I'm currently having to do 120 hours of unpaid work (30 hours a week for 4 weeks) or I'll lose my benefits. So what's my crime? Being unemployed? Being poor? Completely baffled by this governments policies.

erm, Wanna because of the reasons listed above. I understand that there are people out there who think those on benefits are 'entitled' etc. but slave labour doesn't help anyone other than the company 'employing'. That is not good. It means that in the long run we all lose. We lose the right to union representation, maternity/paternity leave, the right to a decent wage/work environment etc. It is a dangerous path to follow.

I'm childish and would refuse to wear anything that stated I was 'volunteering' when it was not the case.

Raum I think you'll find your the one with the piss poor attitude.

It's a charity shop - no shareholders benefitting!

Who's making you wear the "JC volunteer" badge?

It's demonstrably untrue, and I wonder if it might constitute false advertising or fraud, or something.

AJ yes OP may be working for a charity shop but its not only charity shops who do the work program.

Tesco
Homebase
Poundland

Have u heard of them?

**The work program IS slave labour. If it was 'working for your benefits' u would only have to work roughly 10 hours a week for ur 71 pounds jsa at nmw.

For that 71 u have to pay ur childcare as the jobcentre dont pay for childcare, working tax credits do and u dont get them despite working 30 hours a week.**

if she was working 30 hours a week it wouldn't be £71 a week though would it??

I work,I pay my taxes & childcare & rent & so on and so on...

Why should I do this and yet others think they don't have too.

yet again-it's not unpaid work,she's working for her benefits!

wannabe do you receive any benefits at all?
Even child benefit is a benefit.
How would you feel if you had to do a days work just to get it?
And we all pay tax not just you and the op and her husband have also so don't take it too personally eh.

At less than the legal Minimum Wage, and in a job she has been mandated to do, rather than one she is free to leave.

You have committed a crime.

You are unem

Name and shame "charity". They'll have nowt out of me.

I'd feel a bit better working in a charity shop than the others mentioned.

I employed somebody on an apprenticeship programme last year. They had applied for nearly 100 jobs before getting the interview. (That's really 100 btw, not the OP's blatent exaggeration). The job centre had placed them on a work experience programme in a charity shop. They enjoyed the work and carried on volunteering there one day a week when it finished. This gave them current experience and a bloody good reference from the shop manager. They worked for me for a year for apprentice wage before getting a decent paid job within the same organsisation. 6 months later they've got another job at even better pay. The experience in the charity shop was the pebble that rolled down the hill and is now a well paid boulder with a good career. Work experience programmes are not always a bad idea though I agree that for profit organisations are exploiting them.

Sorry to read what you are going through op, it sounds really tough . The job market at the moment is just awful especially when you have been a sahm for a number of years, you are up against so much competition. really hope things improve soon for you.

And what will happen to the people currently being paid wages to sweep the streets and clean hospitals, HarrietVane?

Oh, they'll suddenly be "jobseekers". Seeking jobs that have been abolished and replaced with workfarers.

Wanna If you ever lose your job I take it you'll be happy to work for £1.50 an hour? And I take it you'll do it with a smile on your face and a spring in your step? FWIW I was also a taxpayer until I became a SAHM, DH has been a taxpayer for 22 years. This is the FIRST time he's ever had to claim unemployment benefit.

DH is also applying for numerous jobs a week, MW jobs too. He has recent experience and he also hasn't even had an interview in the past 8 months. One of us needs to be at home at least part time because dd1 is autistic. So we're both applying for full time jobs atm, and the plan is supposed to be the first one of us that manages to get a full time job takes it, and the other then starts to look for part time work.

My hospital could do with more cleaners. And people helping people to eat and get their meals whilst it's hot too.

You are unemployed and claiming benefits.

Misfortune is your own fault and you need to be punished to convince you not to continue on the path of hard luck.

It's important to make an example of you to keep the people who have low-paid jobs from being too uppity.

They're scroungers too and need to be kept in their place.

I mean this kindly op, but something is wrong if you're applying for that many jobs and not getting any interviews. I'm no enployment expert but I've never 'just sent a cv' for any application; I've always tailored the cv & covering letter very specifically for the job I want. I suspect you'd be better off applying for ten jobs a week but ensuring the application is spot on.

Northernlurker have one of these.

My DH runs a pub and has had an advert in the job centre for three weeks now for chefs. He has had two applicants. One of them did a three hour trial shift and decided that he didn't want to come back. Yes it's hard work, yes it's minimum wage, but finding staff who actually want to work and don't turn up late every day and ring in sick once a week is a nightmare.
I think it's a great idea to make people do some work if they are able to. Might make people less picky about a job. Why should people get something for nothing when others are working their arses off?

Arf at " our taxes"
The op has also paid tax.
Cameron's army are alive and well.

Deadwomanwalking - i haven't read all the thread but i daresay there has been the stock of "entitled" comments on here.

I understand your frustration, but could you possibly try to find some positives? You are getting recent skills to put on your CV, if you are imaginative then you can make even the most generic work show off a useful skill set.

I am struggling to find work too so i sympathise, however I am probably going to do a stint of voluntary work to get back on the horse. I've done it before and i really enjoyed it. The difference for me is that it was on MY terms, it was for a friend not a charity but it was a project i enjoyed and geve me something recent for my CV. I don't think i would have been so positive if i were stacking shelves for £1.50 an hour.

Where abouts do you work?

The thing is like I said upthread if I'd known I was allowed to bloody well volunteer I would have been from the start. I wouldn't be volunteering for this charity though because I don't like the fact that they support workfare. I've been looking at volunteer jobs for when my MWA is finished, there are quite a few that would help me get a job. I most certainly won't be volunteering for AgeUK after being forced to work for them.