to think my friend has a good argument for refusing to attend this job interview?

[listsandbudgets]

She's going anyway because even though she argued until she was in floods of tears, the job centre have told her that if she does not she'll have her benefits taken away.

She's strictly vegan and has been since her mid teens - she's now in her late 30s. She won't even wear leather shoes. They are sending her to be interviewed for a job in an abattoir Normally I'd say if people can work they should but surely she's got a good argument for not going for this job?

What on earth can she do? Will she be sanctioned if she lets them know her views during the interview and does her best not to get the job?

I am sure the abattoir will be happy to recruit your friend no matter how badly she comes across on the interview. The problem is, while most people like to eat meat, hardly anyone actually wants to spend their days getting their hands dirty and slaughtering animals so that people can eat meat.

Abattoirs struggle to fill their vacancies and that is why they are happy for the job centre to pressgang send them anyone with a pulse.

I think she should follow the links on here, contact her MP etc. I wish her luck.

Yes, I wrote traumatic.

Definition: "deeply disturbing or distressing".
Which it would be to many people, not just to vegans.

I'm a meat eater, far from an animal lover and even I wouldn't want to work in an abattoir. Your friend was not BU.

YouAreMyRain

That was my thought too, I know it's similar for tanneries. The bar for "fucking up the interview" is probably incredibly low.

If it's really a serious, life-long belief for her then there's no way in hell it's reasonable to make her work in an abattoir. Context is all important. How is her general effort in the job-seeking department etc? If it's good, and this is the one red line, then it would be ridiculous and counter productive to try and make her take such a position. I say this as a bit of a dole Nazi too.

you can turn down jobs if they are not suitable for you all she needs to do is attend she can turn it down at a later date if they even want to employ her

While I personally regard sex work as a valid choice, it strikes me that insisting a vegan take a job in an abbatoir is as unreasonable as insisting that anyone take a job in the sex industry against his/her wishes. (and I don't just mean fucking for money - there are many reasons why some people would find working as a phone sex op or even behind the counter in Ann Summers traumatic and stressful.)

Well 45% now !

She should take any job however if she wants to avoid sanctions and not be seen as throwing the interview she should do her best and just slip in at some point she "blogs" for fun and is an active member of PETA.

They will have her out of the door in a flash.

On the flipside I would say I work in meat and one of our office staff is vegan.

How long has she been looking? I think people should get a reasonable time (3-6months) to find their own job but after that really should be prepared to take anything.

No. It really doesn't.

Surely you're paying 40% on your income between 36ishk and 150k and 50% on your earnings over 150k. Congratulations on earning such a staggering sum of money.

I just love the my tax = benefits bill school of thought, when benefit expenditure is really a small fraction of the total public purse.

(That's was to MrKnowItAll btw, in case it wasn't obvious!)

I am a vegetarian, have been for years. I am also a UK tax payer. I would be happy for someone to refuse a job under these circumstances even thought it meant them continuing to claim benefits.

OP, can your friend afford to be sanctioned? I don't know what the penalties are now.

Mr knowitall so your entire tax payment goes towards unemployed people?

What a load of tosh.

I agree that the amount of time she has been job hunting is relevant here.

If she's been on JSA and searching hard for jobs for a month, then it does seem a bit unfair. If she's been claiming for three months or more and is having no success then it's at the stage where she should have to take any job that pays because she needs the money and JSA should not be a long term option.

What about a job in retail where you might have to sell the Bible or the works of Richard Dawkins or the Daily Hate Mail or the Guardian or a "girlie" magazine or drink or tobacco, the list is endless?

It's true in a sense that it does not matter to the public purse which claimant comes off the dole and gets the job; but there is social benefit in people who might otherwise be on the dole for ever and a day finding that if they must do a job which goes against the grain, they can do it.

has she seen the scene in Trainspotters where Spud goes for a job interview off his face on amphetamines?

Some people on this thread are so down on benefit claimants that they are rubbing their hands with glee at one having to do a job that they funs traumatic. Scary.

Find not funs.

I think she should sabotagethe interview but the sametime the jc will argue that veganism doesn't have the same protected status as being Muslim