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

Oddsocks I didn't say most, I said "a lot of". I do think there are a fair few people on benefits who have no intention of ever working, life is too easy when someone else pays for everything.

I always believed that benefits as a lifestyle choice was a Dm fabrication. Then I went to work in a school with 30% fsm and while very many of those families are decent people who want to do their best for their dc, there are sadly a significant proportion of those children being brought up to see working as something mugs do

She/He won't have to because the state is taking our money and giving it to him/her in the form of JSA. I have to ask again, did you actually bother to read the OP?

You said "No one is forcing him/her to claim the JSA"

This is true, however if he doesnt claim it he will have no money to feed himself.

You then say his alternative is to "put in a shift at the charity shop" this is incorrect. That is not the alternative. He is already doing 10 hours in a charity shop, he is now being told as a condition of receiving JSA he must do 30 hours (which i am sure you can work out is more than "a shift" ) the charity shop work isnt an alternative to him claiming JSA, it is a condition of his claim.

It is true as you initially said that no-one is forcing him to claim JSA. However the alternative to claiming it is to starve. He could still volunteer without claiming JSA but would have no money to feed himself.

Do you understand now?

And yes, ive read the whole thread.

He hass worked before and was made redundant as factory closed down. He was already volunteering for vhe charity shop before being forced to join this scheme. I wouldn't blame the charity shop tbh.

sorry - v slow post - thread moved on.

Would it be rude to point out the reading comprehension skills of some on this thread are very poor indeed?

Or to mention the goady fucker. Am I allowed to do that or would that cast aspersions on my character?

moving I do think what you wrote was rude. Telling people to "cop on" and saying they are "ignorant" (in the sense you used and meant the word) is rude.

As for your list, didn't read to the end as your unpleasant posting style put me off.

I think Anthony is right on this point

if you don't like it you know where the report button is :)

And council tax jug
And it's £78 jsa

You folks on here bleating about housing benefit - you do know that isn't classed as an out of work benefit, yes? So why in the world would you include it? Lots of working people get it.

Too many benefit bashers on this thread.

One of the first pieces of advice given to people when they talk about getting a job when unemployed is that they should do some volunteering to A, keep their hand in and have current experience, and B, have something to write on their cv.

Except the volunteering landscape has changed massively over the past few years, and obtaining a voluntary role is almost the same as obtaining a paid job, with the need for references, cv's, applications, interviews etc.

I don't agree with the likes of tesco, pound land or any other large company exploiting the unemployed in the name of cheap labour, however I do think that being placed in a voluntary role for a charity shop is a good move in the right direction.

I just skipped past the dictating post with the list.... Don't bother with posts like that

If he had a factory job and was made redundant, he doesn't sound workshy. Factory jobs in some areas are hard to get as there are lots of people after these sort of jobs and if people have always worked in a factory they are not suddenly going to be employed in admin type jobs.

pointy yep, agreed. When I had a full time job, at more than minimum wage, I still needed benefits to survive. A lot of the people I worked with also had to claim benefits.

O has it gone up to £78 now?

I'm a bit bemused. When did it become OK to have a go at a a poster without reading what they wrote?

Is this a thing now? Because I always thought to make an argument you had to consider the points. Otherwise isn't that straying a bit towards the personal?

moving I don't see the point in reporting you as you weren't making a personal attack on any one poster. In my head I see you as someone who takes delight in saying "i call a spade a spade" in a proud sort of way. The sort of person who is blunt to the point of rudeness, and has difficulty accepting that other people have differing views. Reporting you isn't going to change that.

I don't care if randoms on the Internet are rude, though I do think outright rudeness adds nothing to any discussion.

I work in a social enterprise that provides work experience for the long term unemployed. Most commit to 20hrs p/w for 8 weeks. They work alongside our paid staff, gaining skills in retail, catering, building maintenance, or gardening. We pay their transport costs, and also provide lunch everyday (Job centre not happy about that - it's not encouraged as no where else feeds their volunteers).
Sometimes it's about learning new skills for their CV, sometimes it is about boosting confidence. We help them to hone their CV and with applications as necessary, and good references. 90% of our volunteers have gone on to find paid employment within their time with us or within a month. You are much more employable if you have a job or very recent experience. We don't want the volunteers - we love it when someone calls us within a couple of weeks starting with us and tell us they can't come in any more because they have a job!
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that not all employers working with the job centre to offer voluntary posts are evil Poundland type advantage takers.

Sorry to jump in 7 pages into the thread but I feel desperately sorry for the OPs friend. He lost his job through absolutely no fault of his own, has been volunteering anyway (so clearly isn't a lazy arse), and is now being made to jump through extra hoops to get his measly £78 a week, which he has contributed to through his tax paid during his period of employment.

I am lucky enough to have never experienced unemployment but my god I think it would be nigh on impossible to keep body and soul together in these circumstances.

I do think some people claiming benefits as a lifestyle choice but I seriously doubt anyone would choose to live on 'just' JSA; a single adult without a disability or children. It sucks.

I think it's crap. Why should
The tax payer fund the charity shops
Wage bill? Disgraceful.

The charity shop could
You know, just hire unemployed people and give them a job and wage. Problem solved

YANBU

I haven't rtft

I know someone who did 30 hours a week on JSA in a supermarket. What she was paid in JSA was not even close to the min wage. If they want to make people work then fair enough, but pay them the min wage at least. It's disgusting.

I think JSA is £73.10 now.