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

Mrsjanedoe:
Depends where you are, there are so many in London, and we struggle to find staff. No-one wants to work a 35 hours shift over 7 days! (that's a 35 hours week, but any day between Monday and Sunday. People don't want to work Sunday, not considered an overtime day, for a rate above the AVERAGE uk salary).
If only you were in Scotland. I'd eat my own arm off for this job.

My point mrsdoe is the charity shop and the library have similar opening hours which rather cuts down his opportunity to job search.

I think unless you have walked in another person's shoes you have no idea what it is like.
And I thought most part time jobs I have seen recently were 16 hours per week. Occasionally 24 or 8.
so quite how 30 hours per week can be classed as less than most part time jobs.

It does seem that job centres just want the unemplyed to adopt a spray and pray approach. On a training course my sister had to look up addresses of local employers and either phone or write to them asking if they had jobs. Also finding 10 suitable jobs means most applicants will be applying for jobs there are not suited for thus wasting everyone time.
My sister was forced to apply for a 24 hour a week split shift job in a pub 20 miles from where she lived. She would have been worse off financially than she is now.
But I am guessing she should just be grateful for a job.

The irony of Job centre workers is that . If it weren't for the unemployed they wouldn't have job.

They were hardly sympathetic either when they closed down the job centre in the town. Suddendly the unemployed had to pay 5.00 every two weeks to sign on. When someone mentioned they were told well so we. Well probably you have cars. Try running a car on 73.00.

It's almost a rule - give someone power, and they will abuse it.

However long someone has worked for prior to being made redundant, and however hard they are working to find a new job, they are treated like dirt.