AIBU To think universal credit are cf

[laura6032]

Just been looking into universal credit. Family's on low income would claim child tax and working tax credits, renew annually and thats it.

Now with universal credit your expected to sign a work commitment, and have meetings with a work coach to find better paid work. Like what, retail, catering and other industries have paid low wages historically.

Seems to me that this government is making low income Family's jump through hoops to get their benefits rather than go after the multi million pound employers that don't pay their employees a decent livable income.

Jus me or is this really fecking out of line. Is our government happy to subsidise low paying employers while making hard working families on low income have to hump hoops.

Ah Bless you.
Youve got the wrong end of the stick. Its not UC/GOV who are the CFs its those low life benefit claimants who are the CFs and as such everyone who is not a LLBC can look down upon them with impunity.
It was a bit more difficult before you see when benefits were diverse - housing benefit paid by the council ,Tax credits paid by HMRC etc. It wasnt possible to completely cut off those LLBCs by cutting a benefit because there was always some other pesky benefit that could hold them up until things were put right. That gave them a sense of right to live. This way one false move and Voila! UC stops completely, a whole family is thrown into poverty and finally understands where they are in society. Much better all round dont you think?

One thing is for sure always try in life never to rely on the state for anything as that is never a safe course.

Eloquently put guys x

If you choose a life of relying on the state to afford your choices then there should be many hoops to jump through. State support should be a last resort not a top up or full support for those that want to do little or make choices that they couldn't afford.

Some roles will always only pay minimum wage as there's no skill involved. Its not the employers fault that the person didn't study harder or chose to live in x area, have x children etc. Those choices are down to the individual only. Many minimum wage roles suit students, adults who just want the extra income for the household etc as a second earner.

It's a disgrace and not fit for purpose.
I became enraged with what my MP spouted when talking about UC and the fact there was no correlation between it and food banks or some such nonsense, seemingly the video of him in parliament talking about it has been removed from his website...

The state shouldn't have to support anyone who is capable of working though really. If you can't afford to live on the wages from your current hours in your current job it is hardly unreasonable for the government to suggest that you should be doing something so that you can live off your wages in future.

Yay! Boxsets is back to blame benefit claimants. You do realise that Karin's post refers to people like you. No probably not, so I'm pointing it out.

user have you considered things like: Jobs available. Rural communities. Skill sets?

Really boxsets?

I have a degree, a-levels and 11 GCSEs, was privately educated, moved to the midlands from London to better afford life in general which meant leaving all family behind.
My husband then chose to have an affair and beat me up after running up thousands of pounds of debt in my name.
Now I live somewhere with 2 dc and no family support to help with childcare, I rent privately which, whilst not as expensive as London is still not cheap. My now ex husband has no contact with the kids and pays the grand sum of £50 a week maintenance.
I can’t work weekends or evenings
as no one to look after DC so, I work what I can and pay a fortune in childcare.
I have a job I enjoy but haven’t had a pay rise in over 3 years
I studied my arse off when I was younger, did everything the way you’re “supposed” to and yet, because of decisions the man I loved made I am now very much dependent on state support and am dreading universal credit coming in in the area I am.

To say people should make better decisions in life is so short sighted- if everything has worked out for you exactly the way you planned then I’d say you were in the fortunate minority

So when me and all my colleagues leave our job for a better paid one, who's going to look after your Grandma? Someone has to do the lower paid jobs. Might as well be those of us who want to and actually enjoy it.

I had to claim universal credits last month. I went to a Russell group Uni. I got a great degree. I have worked every day since, and been with my well paid company for over ten years. I got married and had three kids under 4. We had a great income. Then DH left.

Do you know how much fulltime childcare is for 3 kids? £32,750 a year (£42 per child, per day). Do you know how much rent is for a two bed flat here in London. £1250 a month, which is £15K a year.

I need to clear £47K after tax just for childcare and rent. Not even including council tax, gas, electric, water, tv licence, food, medication, travel to work etc. So yes, I need universal credits right now. Judge away. I just hope your life doesn't fall apart like mine did and you don't find yourself where I am. A bit of compassion never hurt anyone.

And FWIW, UC has been the most degrading and difficult process I have ever been put through. It's horrifically managed and I could write essays on how awful it is.

The thing that annoys me with UC is that it’s a completely different set of rules than WTC for exactly the same financial/work situation.

I’ve just had my healthy start vouchers stopped. On Tax Credits I could earn £16,000pa and still be eligible. On UC it’s more than £402 per month (so £4824 pa) and you’re not eligible. And I’m already over £100 worse off on UC than I was on TC and housing benefits and now this. Purely because it’s a different system.

And prior to having my son I wasn’t in receipt of benefits, and if his father was made to take on 50% of the financial burden of raising him then I wouldn’t need to claim anything.

Is it not a bit too idealistic to say that the state shouldn't help families on low income. Maybe in an ideal world we wouldn't have to.

But unfortunately not everyone can have a well paid job, or even a job that covers their basic requirements of a house heating and food.

We need people to work in shops people to clean, to care for us, etc but these are unfortunately not well paid jobs. Not everyone can go to uni - and not all graduates have well paid jobs - not everyone can live in postcode x.

Prices have risen to quickly, for rent, mortgages, food, energy, and not everyone, even in homes with both parents working full time, can afford it. But many of the companies that Employ them make millions of profit.

I think it's time the government crack down on companies, like supermarkets, cafes, cleaning firms, that who underpay and avoid tax and less time demonising poor hard working families who need a hand.

"NewtScamandersNaughtyNiffler

So when me and all my colleagues leave our job for a better paid one, who's going to look after your Grandma?"

Can we still nominate for quote of the week?
Fwiw I think care workers should be paid a hell of a lot more than they are. But in the meantime this is the point.

Ah I see there's already some fine specimens of humanity sitting loftily in their ivory towers passing judgement on those lowly poor people

I don't disagree that for many there is no choice but the culture of degree educated women with good employment prospects working 16 hours a week in the local supermarket was never sustainable.
We need a system that is available to those who need it while it undesirable to everyone else and frankly it is impossible to have a system that meets both aims at once unless the job centre is able to meet with and understand the circumstances of individual claimants (in cases where the claimant is only qualified for low paying work one meeting at the start of the claim should be the end of it but for people who choose to work below their ability level at the taxpayers expense the government should continue to place as much pressure as possible).

Which supermarkets making huge profits are you talking about? Tesco made a loss in 2017 and £1.2bn profit in 2018. They paid over £300m in corporation tax and the profit is equivalent to about £2,000 per employee. Not sure what scope they have to pay higher wages.

User I don’t choose to work below my ability level, my circumstances make it so that I have no choice. I already have enough emotional and financial pressure thanks to my ex husband without being told I’m not reaching my full potential by the government.
Until my dc are old enough to fend for themselves my employment options are limited and, given that it will have been many many years of low paid employment by the time they reach that age, i highly doubt I’ll have better paying employers falling over themselves to hire me

So when me and all my colleagues leave our job for a better paid one, who's going to look after your Grandma?"

Just this completely.

I love my present job, consider it a vocation.

I'm leaving and going back to another profession I'm (luckily) trained in that pays better just to avoid this UC carry on.

I have two degrees, a postgraduate qualification in my chosen profession and won an award. I had to leave my job because my XH couldn't look after our children properly for two hours, three days a week. My DS has SN and there's no childcare here to help out. I would LOVE to be at work. But any jobs I can fit in around school times/holidays don't pay enough for us to live on

Was it getting married or having children that was my big mistake, do you think?

There wouldn't be any need for conditions, work commitment signing etc if all those "hard working families" were doing their utmost.

The reality is many will be working part time despite having a family to support and don't see why they should do more when somebody else will pay the shortfall.

People don't have crystal balls but it's not rocket science to see that if you have numerous children and the relationship breaks down that you can't then afford to support so many. Given the divorce statistics it's not hard to believe a relationship may not last.

They work part time BECAUSE they have a family to support.

You're ok if you are earning 30 hours minimum wage right? They don't make you do any extra shit for it?

Its an awful system and I don't think many would chose to work below their "ability level."

I really hope they will get rid of/ not implement the work conditionality thing for people who are in work. Its the most controversial part of UC.

I really hope they will get rid of/ not implement the work conditionality thing for people who are in work. Its the most controversial part of UC.

What does this mean?