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.

Mandatory work activity is a terrible name though, sounds like something straight from Shawshank Redemption.

I personally think its a good thing assuming you actually get some decent experience/learn something new or keep up to date with a skill. I am annoyed some companies treat it like free labour though as they do with interns. GL OP - go to the employment boards and get some tips on your CV.

deadwoman is this the only placement you have been asked to do in 8 months?

that's done it for me wanna - telling someone to just get a job

i am truly disgusted

Altinkum - someone with a family to support cannot do just 12 hours for X amount of time, because they would be unable to claim TC's in order to help support their family.

Do while what you have offered this 'lad' may be suitable for him, it is on no way suitable for someone looking for work that will support a family.

What about office work? Medical secretary, legal secretary. I know there are jobs in the legal secretarial field - if you haven't got the skills, look at training opportunities.

No I was talking to my matemax

"There are jobs if you are willing to do anything, work shit hours, split shifts, crappy work etc."

No there are not, not always and not for everyone. I'll point out the obvious; Between 2008 and 2009 the unemployment rate went from 5% to 8%, where it has remained ever since. Did we suddenly acquire lots more lazy people, or has it become more difficult to get a job? If it's more difficult, then it's exponentially so for those like SAHM who are less employable at face value (not right, but realistic) than someone with continuous employment.

Workfare has to be the most idiotic government policy I've seen for a long time. Again, I'll point out the obvious; Workfare means that all taxpayers have to contribute towards benefits for a given work position. Most of these work positions would otherwise have been paid for by the employer at NMW. The rest would be for voluntary positions. Can't see the reasoning behind forcing people at random to fill these positions either.

OP, you have my sympathy. Keep knocking on the door and something will come up. And this shower of bastards will be out of office soon enough ;)

I bet all those on this thread who are in employment and think this scheme is a good idea, will change their tune if they lose their job and get put on it!

I'm going to shout now

THE OP SHOULD BE EXEMPT FROM MWP BECAUSE SHE IS A CARER.

She should also be exempt from active job seeking and should be claiming ESA in the not actively seeking group.

according to April 2013 Labour Market survey there are 495,000 jobs available. there are 2,563,000 unemployed and 6,884,000 underemployed.

if there is a job

pay for a job

otherwise it is slavery

Have I missed the bit where she said she was a carer?

There's a lot of jobs in your area op than there is in mine. There wasn't even 100 advertised each week. I was on jsa for 6 months. Single parent. dd at school. Volunteered in a charity shop whilst looking for work. Became a dinner lady that doesn't pay during holidays and I only ended up with 200 a month from it. Found another job in care work (never worked with elderly before) and I start training tomorrow for the job. They were the only jobs I got interviews for. 2 out of I don't know how many. I kind of get what you're saying but surely if you're applying for over 100 a week for example there must be a interview in.there somewhere.

You can dress it up anyway you like.It's still free labour at the expense of real jobs.

Usualsuspect - I totally know what i am talking about.. I dont know much but i do know about the job market & recruitment

Outraged yes this is the first placement I've been sent on.

Enlightened office work is actually what I want to do. I would love to be a legal secretary. The problem is training to be a legal secretary is a full time course, (I've looked) and if I go on a full time course I'll lose my JSA. It is something I'd like to get into though, and when I've (eventually) got a job I'm going to look into training to be a legal secretary possibly at night school.

Custardo if the OP was paid minimum wage it wouldn't be slavery would it?

www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2414 boycott workfare]]
wo weeks ago, it emerged that Homebase is taking on tens of workfare placements in their Haringey store: 750 hours of unpaid work in just one week in just one of Homebase?s 342 shops.

A week later, a Homebase poster was leaked: it showed managers boasting about how they have been able to cut the wages bill with workfare. Then a staff member told us what it had meant for staff: overtime cut for everyone and some people?s hours reduced cut from 48 down to 8.

Sorry usualsuspect I've just realised that.

boycott workfare

this is a policy to get poor people to make rich people a shit load richer without paying them

if there is a job of work to do

pay them a living fucking wage