to think this is akin to slave labour.

[northernsoul78]

A friend on JSA is expected to do 30 hours mandatory (voluntary) work in a charity shop for 30 hours per week and apply for at least 10 jobs per week. It wouldn't be so bad if the voluntary work wouldbe likely to lead to a job but ofcourse it won't.
Aibu

National Insurance. It's an insurance policy. That's why it's called insurance.

As mentioned upthread, one might be a tad peeved if, having claimed £5,000 on your home insurance after a washing machine flood, your insurance company required you to work £15,000 worth of hours at a job of their choosing. Particularly as this wasn't in the contract you'd signed.

It's not for nothing though, is it, Jolly. People pay this thing called....ERM scratches head, ah that's it. National insurance to help those out of work and in case tgey come out of work, so don't go thinking this gentleman owes you a living, because let me tell you. He does not. 35 years of paying taxes. He owes you me job centre works society and the government, nothing.

They were not getting jsa for nothing. They were already volunteering for a min of 10 hours per week which is about right for the benefit received. Plus the friend has about 10 years worth of ni and my sister 35 ish .sorry for the confusion.

What is your problem Cruikshank? I'm telling you the facts of life. Not much I can do if you don't like it I'm afraid. it is what it is

sharon no you are not.

I'm an employer I would leap at the chance to get an employee with the appropriate qualifications for my team that had 35 years on continious employent with the same employer. I would see the date from and end date of employment and pretty much ignore everything else (unless that previous employer was a local authority). On the basis of that sole reference and wouldn't ask for another.

I've been out tonight with a good friend who owns 4 recruitment companies he was scanning this thread, he actually laughed when he saw your comment and agreed with me.

I would do pretty much the same for 10 years and plus.

There is usually a very very good reason why people keep employing the same person for a decade or more

Helenadove: You think he should be doing workfare to get his JSA So by that very dint you are saying all the NI he has paid over 35 years doesnt count.
^^
^Sharoncarol:
No I'm not. I'm saying it is perfectly fair and reasonable to be expected to do something in return for JSA^

Cracking up at this exchange above, it's like banging your head against a brick wall isn't it?

I don't think it's slave labour but I don't think it's completely fair. My DM is currently unemployed and researching and applying for jobs is taking her a massive amount of time and she is going at it diligently. She's probably made 4-5 applications a week. 10 would be very hard if you are also working 30 hours a week (plus the hours it takes to get ready, commute, and do the basics of eating and sleeping in a week)

It goes to show that many people don't understand what JSA is. If you lose your job and have paid adequate NI in the previous 2 years you get 6 months of JSA at £73 a week. This is none means tested and you are entitled to it just as much as people claiming maternity pay or state pension. To be forced to work for it is a breach of contract IMO.

After 6mths any benefits are means tested. You transfer onto income support (although that is now replaced by universal credit I think). This is the point where some pressure to work should be applied. However 30 hrs for £73 is exploitation.

On and people on none means tested JSA don't get free prescriptions, housing benefit etc automatically. They have to apply for those separately and are means tested for that.

I think the problem with this scenario is that it is a charity shop where the rest of the shop staff (with the exception of the manager) will be volunteers earning £0/ hour. I volunteer once a week and it costs me to work there as it involves travel to the site and various training courses. The difference is I am volunteering to be there. I also benefit from the experience and training.

Most charities running shops or services on volunteers are desperate for people so I think anyone out of work should be considering seriously doing at least a day or more of volunteer work, if they can. I really think it is beneficial - I wish the work was valued enough to gain a living wage, I am not sure how (aside from when the revolution ...) this will change. I struggle with the idea I am contributing to pig lover Cameron's 'Big Society' - but the work needs to be done. It is a dilemma that is not going to be solved on a thread. I don't agree with 'workfare' but I do see the value of voluntary work while job seeking as it helps to keep you in touch with the routines and expectations of working life.

Agree voluntary work a great idea. About 10 hours a week is a great level which both job seekers were doing in addition to job searching. 30 hours is just too much in my opinion.

it is stupid NOT to move to where the work is really? so leave DH in his paid employment and move, leave kids too? find money from god knows where to rent somewhere to live whilst looking for a job? . Obviously if well paid jobs were available when we were both younger and look we would have gone where they were but we have settled, we have roots, DH is long term employed, as is DS, its our HOME so no I would not leave them all behind for a job. Get real, sounds jolly but it is simply not a sensible option for anyone with family ties. Oh and as has been pointed out, there are not enough jobs, and especially not enough highly paid jobs, no one wanted to employ me to stack shelves or clean as I have too many skills and qualifications and they knew I would move on asap, they wanted to give these jobs to less qualified folks and quite rightly so, so to the person sneering at 'professionals' not wanting poorly paid unskilled work, its not that simple.

bigmouth when i was on workfare 15 years ago the sex chatline office job i got (nothing to do with Reed I found it myself) was NIGHT work so the workfare preparing people for a routine assumes that everyone would end up working from 9am to 5pm.

I am wondering what quality of job applications people churn out ten a week in the evening, even without internet/computer access issues. I am currently completing an application form (admittedly for a very senior level job) and have spent at least five hours on it so far and am still not done. If someone told me I had to find and apply for ten a week plus work thirty hours I would assume they didn't actually want me to do them well enough to stand a snowball's chance of getting the job. Sounds counterproductive in the extreme unless they literally just want you to send out CV s or something.

I agree that sending a generic CV to every employer is a waste of everybody's time.

However, most people don't need to spend more than a couple of hours per job ap, and manage to do so whilst working full time. You don't need to do that much research about the company at that stage. Of course, then you don't have to apply to a set number, but when you are looking, you do apply for the best jobs you see.

30 hours a week is nothing! Most people do that in 3 days. (it's not nothing, but it is not that much). Enough time to go to the library where internet access is free.

edit: when you apply through a recruitment agency, you skip the research about the company anyway, because you don't even know who they are until you are called for an interview.

Yes but those "most people" are paid a wage jane. And a lot of libraries are being closed.

If you think that's unfair, what about this: www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/03/dwp-benefits-electrician-work-placement-labour

A man was fired from his job and forced to work at it for free under the new workfare scheme. The changes to the rules on claiming jobseekers allowance have forced hundreds of people into situations like this.

HelenaDove they might be paid a wage, but the point was not about money, but about having time to apply for job. 30 hours a week is less than (most) part-time jobs.

Not having the time to look for a job when you are unemployed is ludicrous, even if you have to commit to a few hours work. In that case, it sounds like you do need them to get used to things.

libraries, charities, job centre plus offices, there are options for free internet.

Recruitment agencies, temp agencies, there are places where you submit one application for multiple jobs.

A lot of companies are taking advantage of the free labour from those forced onto Workfare schemes with no intention of taking the person on afterwards. Many charities have now stopped taking them as there was an outcry against it but a lot of big companies - Tesco, Asda, Primark, etc still use this coerced labour. Here are some more examples - www.boycottworkfare.org/?page_id=31 The Archbishop of York has spoekn up against it and called it modern day slavery.

Golden i remember that.

Quite apart from the exploitative aspect i wonder how he would be insured as he was actually no longer employed by them.

a. public liability insurance
b. employers liability insurance.
c. contractors risk all insurance.

He would need these before entering a member of the publics home.

Just read the report. This is not only exploatation. It is also financial abuse. And a serious lack of safe guarding re the single dad who was put on unsociable hours and wanted his hours to fit in with his kids was threatened with with losing his home. This is abuse.
Shame on you
Poundland. Exploiting the disabled. Or anyone else for that matter.
Asda
Tescos
Primark
Oh and charity organisations. Double shame on you. For exploiting the unemployed.
And for those cheering on the workfare, smugly in your jobs. Think long and hard about what you are advocating here. The possible loss of our own job. After all why should our managers pay us the NMW when tgey can get a poor sole on JSA to work for nothing.
The unemployed are treated worse than criminals. The system stinks

Ghost i also suspect that some of those cheering this on would change their minds real quick if they found out that any workmen working in their homes wernt insured because they were workfarers if there were any accidents on site.

Absolute Helena

I have a client, however, who found a job on this scheme precisely through the voluntary work she'd been asked to do (when they offered her a PT job), and then from that job got another FT job. So it can help.