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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think the nations children are worth more than 1.90 an hour

85 replies

IceBeing · 17/02/2015 13:29

Dear Tories,

The reason that there are 18-25 year olds out of work is not that young people don't want to work, it is that unemployment is at over 2 million.

You stuffed up the economy with your discredited austerity shit, now you want to employ our children at less than half minimum wage to make up for it?

AIBU to actually genuinely hate the PM?

OP posts:
CharlesRyder · 17/02/2015 16:20

Do you not think that young people being out of the house in structured activity, potentially in contact with positive role models, might actually be good for their mental health? Compared with being at home or hanging out on the streets with other NEETs.

Heels99 · 17/02/2015 16:21

I think it's fair enough. If you can't find your own job after six months the gove will give you something to do in return for your benefits.

LurkingHusband · 17/02/2015 16:22

Why is there a different JSA rate for under 25s, btw ?

Heels99 · 17/02/2015 16:23

You don't have to do it, it's not compulsory, you only need to do it of you want money off the government. Its entirely optional.

Heels99 · 17/02/2015 16:23

Op the phrase 'the nations children' does rather suggest children rather than adults.

Baddz · 17/02/2015 16:23

I am a sahm and have been looking for pt work for 2 years.
I have lots of experience, have done OU courses and voluntary work in the past few years.
It doesn't matter to employers. They dont care.
The last 2 interviews I have been invited to were in fact for zero hours contracts (it did not state this in the job ad)
I am 42 ffs.

expatinscotland · 17/02/2015 16:24

Tories despise the minimum wage and will do anything to get rid of it.

AliceinWinterWonderland · 17/02/2015 16:27

So they're getting paid less for doing the same work, but not allowed access to the same top up benefits as they are expected to live at home. There are going to be a lot of angry 18-25yos floating about.... and I don't blame them. Minimum wage should be the same for everyone, as should access to benefits.

LurkingHusband · 17/02/2015 16:28

Tories despise the minimum wage and will do anything to get rid of it.

Indeed. The other interesting thing about this pronouncement is how vigorously and passionately it has been decried in the media by the Labour party.

Actually I made that up - a cursory trawl of todays news reveals no such thing. Maybe I need to look harder. Or maybe Labour are waiting to see how popular it is ?

CharlesRyder · 17/02/2015 16:29

Everything I have read says it's 18-21 year olds, not 25.

LurkingHusband · 17/02/2015 16:29

So they're getting paid less for doing the same work, but not allowed access to the same top up benefits as they are expected to live at home. There are going to be a lot of angry 18-25yos floating about.

Trouble is they are outvoted (those that do) by the older generation who probably think this is a Good Thing.

Baddz · 17/02/2015 16:29

Maybe it's good.
Maybe the apathetic 18-25 year olds will get off their arse and vote?

sweetkitty · 17/02/2015 16:31

Why don't they just bring back the workhouses and be done with it?

Why don't they only have the wealthy voting then they can stay in power forever?

If you don't work and pay taxes you are worthless to them (unless you are elderly then you can vote for them)

Screw the poor, screw women, screw children, screw the disabled

Heels99 · 17/02/2015 16:31

Baddz would you consider a job in a school? Lots of mums at our school work as school meals assistants and work up,from there.

LurkingHusband · 17/02/2015 16:31

Maybe the apathetic 18-25 year olds will get off their arse and vote?

Not from what I'm hearing. I've posted elsewhere my sons eloquent (heartbreaking and ultimately correct) analysis.

"Voting ? What's it done for you ?".

worksallhours · 17/02/2015 16:32

So the latest Tories plan means that if you are 18-25 and have been out of work for more than 6 months then you are forced to work for the government for 30 hours a week, for your 50 odd quid in benefits.

Weren't these the terms for the "New Deal for Young People" under Labour though? Except the "scheme" kicked in at three months, not six?

I remember that there was a three month "gateway" period if you signed on and were under 25 -- this is back in 2000. After that, there were three options: further education or training, voluntary work, or some sort of sponsored "internship" at a local business.

I went for the latter, and ended up at an interview with a local company -- and the situation was, basically, if I didn't take the internship, I would lose my JSA and HB/CTB. Luckily, I managed to get a job in my field before my start date for this internship.

And the internship was not paid and lasted for three to six months (I can't remember which). I seem to remember the company was only obliged to pay expenses -- so travel costs, basically. The idea was that if they liked you, they would give you a job. Of course, they were not obliged to give you a job, so you could end up just being a unpaid assistant and moving from one workplace to another on the scheme.

The internship was also full-time, so, basically, I would have been working 35 hours a week in an assistant's role (which required fairly advanced computer skills) for about £58 JSA a week, my HB of £70 a week and my CTB of £20 a week ... so all in all £148 a week.

LurkingHusband · 17/02/2015 16:34

Why don't they just bring back the workhouses and be done with it?

Maybe they are:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2350413/250m-giant-jail-approved-Plans-build-Britains-biggest-prison-hold-2-000-given-green-light.html

remember, in the US, private prisons are used as cheap labour which then trashes the local economy.

Remember "crime" is only what the government says it is. No more. No less.

PtolemysNeedle · 17/02/2015 16:34

You are complaining about this quite ferociously, but you have no alternative suggestions.

How long do you think young people should be allowed to remain unemployed for?

Would it be better to let them job hunt indefinitely, keep paying them benefits, and expect nothing back from them for as long as they like?

Making them do something in return for benefits isn't going to prevent them from getting a better job, so what difference does it make? When my dc are older, I'd be disappointed if they were on unemployment benefits for more than a couple of months, and after six I'd be perfectly happy for them to be made to do something other than what has already failed them for the previous six months.

Baddz · 17/02/2015 16:35

I have applied for 2 dinner lady posts.
Didn't even get an interview.
School jobs are like gold dust.

worksallhours · 17/02/2015 16:35

It is also interesting to note that those "travel expenses" that compnay was obliged to pay only had to cover half the normal cost of traveling on public transport because, as someone on the "New Deal for Young People", you got a half price travel pass. Grin

Heels99 · 17/02/2015 16:36

I don't think taxpayers want to pay for workhouses. I imaging they would be expensive to run and thatbtherevwouldnt be much work that could feasibly be done in them but probably a lot of crime and anti social behaviour.

Heels99 · 17/02/2015 16:37

Yes school jobs are sought after and usually go to people who volunteer in the school. Is that a possibility?

Pantone363 · 17/02/2015 16:37

LABOUR LABOUR LABOUR

WHY aren't you doing/SAYING anything about this? WHERE are you?

How hard is it to grasp. Nobody wants to vote Tory, GIVE us something, ANYTHING to believe in. Tell us what you will do about this. Tell us what you think.

Milliband is a nob. We all KNOW that. But we'll vote for a nob with a cause, we'll vote for him if he has convictions, if he's angry, if he has had ENOUGH. Give us something for god sake.

Baddz · 17/02/2015 16:38

My mothers next door neighbour has an 18 year old son.
He finally got a job - through an agency - at a major high street store depot.
All good.
Except one day he turned up for his shift - along with many others - to be told they no longer had a job.
Some of those people had paid bus fares to get there - for a job they no longer had.
How can employers be allowed to do this?
The erosion of workers rights in the past 20 years is scary.

88blueshoes · 17/02/2015 16:38

I don't think this is anything new (worksallhours has already explained that better than I can!) The difference seems to be that when it's Labour, they sell it as a supportive placement to develop skills, when it's Conservative they sell it as a punishment or a way to show that 'scroungers' aren't being given money to laze around all day.

I don't agree with this policy at all but I think comparing it to Nazi Germany is a bit ridiculous.