Stupid UC changes

[daimbarsatemydogsbone]

So now you have 4 weeks to get a job you could actually do - then you just have to apply for anything/everything.

Every time we have a thread on here about recruitment, the HR wonks pop up and complain about all the "dross" applications from people not qualified for their wonderful opportunities - how will this help?

Rather than punishing people for lack of suitable vacancies it is time the goverment tried to help employers to offer more and better jobs.

@LakieLady

I'm also sick of the rigmarole it takes to escalate a complaint! You can't even speak to a supervisor at time of calling now it's "someone will call you back in 24-48 hours" except they don't!

I work in welfare rights and we are a recognised "partner" organisation with the JCPs. In theory, this means that when we raise an issue on behalf of a client, it gets handled correctly.

It's now 24 weeks since I escalated a matter on behalf of a client. After 12 weeks, he got a phone call asking him if he wanted to submit any additional evidence (despite me having told them he wouldn't be submitting any, because the matter spoke for itself and the regulations were perfectly clear).

I've now escalated the escalation, because they still haven't made a decision, responded, or given the information requested in all this time. There has been no contact, absolutely fuck all has been done in almost 6 fucking months.

If that's how they treat "valued partners", the average claimant stands no chance.

My JSA stopped during lockdown because of a fuck up, the JCP were open so I went in and they did try to help, the guy there (member of the management team) could see the screw up on the computer but said basically HQ had to change it they couldn't fix that from the JCP and he told me to phone them on the 0800 number and wrote down what to say to them some sort of case code thing that they hadn't done for a client checkup by phone during lockdown.

I phoned the 0800 number so while still there in the JCP and was told to get stuffed, I told the guy at the desk and he took my phone and ended up in a big argument with the guy on the 0800 number who told him to get stuffed too.

then the guy at the job centre had to phone the 0800 number again and managed to get thru to someone who wasnt a complete arsehole and it got fixed, thank god I was in the JCP.

Seeing a member of JCP staff on the phone having an argument with someone on the JCP "help" line was surreal really.

@Lolamento

One thing is certain if people did not have the access to benefits they would take wherever they find. It is like this in most countries. Also, this does not mean you stay in this job for ever. For someone who started from nothing this is unacceptable. Sometimes not rushing into having kids help as well. I know so many people who have come from other countries and made it work here with far less education available and experience.

So massive amounts of people on the streets then, lovely I am sure that will help.

@VelvetChairGirl yes
@ShirleyBadass it’s not the work coaches wanting to hit targets it’s the ministers passing down unreasonable expectations on the lowest hanging fruit work coaches aren’t a waste of time our jobs have been auctioned out to the highest party donors pseudo quasi provision masquerading as a good thing - we are not work coaches we are mandated to push people into provision that government has over bought because they’re complete imbeciles. Instead of us seeing people week in week out for 10 mins nothing meaningful can be done we’re just seen to be doing something can you not see how crazy this is when we could be doing good work being paid to you know what actually work coach

[quote Parsley1234]@VelvetChairGirl yes
@ShirleyBadass it’s not the work coaches wanting to hit targets it’s the ministers passing down unreasonable expectations on the lowest hanging fruit work coaches aren’t a waste of time our jobs have been auctioned out to the highest party donors pseudo quasi provision masquerading as a good thing - we are not work coaches we are mandated to push people into provision that government has over bought because they’re complete imbeciles. Instead of us seeing people week in week out for 10 mins nothing meaningful can be done we’re just seen to be doing something can you not see how crazy this is when we could be doing good work being paid to you know what actually work coach[/quote]
They are not imbeciles they are parasites. someone is making a lot of money out of all this, just like with the PPE its all their mates taking a chunk while they can get away with it, the incompetence is a smokescreen, they are never incompetent when it comes to them awarding themselves more money or coming up with ways to avoid tax, funny how its everything that doesn't affect them personally they are suddenly stupid around.

This just came up on my FB. Ok-ish money but the hours are impossible when it comes to childcare when they could be so unpredictable.

This is the issue.

The only reason there are 'loads of jobs going' is because of Brexit. A skilled worker shouldn't be forced into unskilled work just because the government can't frigging sort out the job market. The economy is screwed.

There’s tons of jobs in hospitality etc. Why should people sit at home on their arse doing nothing and getting benefits just because they think they are too good to do the jobs availiable? There’s nothing stopping them continuing to apply and interview for the kind of jobs they want! 1000% a great decision by UC.

@Beachbreak2411

There’s tons of jobs in hospitality etc. Why should people sit at home on their arse doing nothing and getting benefits just because they think they are too good to do the jobs availiable? There’s nothing stopping them continuing to apply and interview for the kind of jobs they want! 1000% a great decision by UC.

Have you read any of the previous posts or did you just copy and paste from ignoramus handbook?

@Beachbreak2411

There’s tons of jobs in hospitality etc. Why should people sit at home on their arse doing nothing and getting benefits just because they think they are too good to do the jobs availiable? There’s nothing stopping them continuing to apply and interview for the kind of jobs they want! 1000% a great decision by UC.

Oh get a clue.

@Beachbreak2411

There’s tons of jobs in hospitality etc. Why should people sit at home on their arse doing nothing and getting benefits just because they think they are too good to do the jobs availiable? There’s nothing stopping them continuing to apply and interview for the kind of jobs they want! 1000% a great decision by UC.

Invariably said by someone who has never claimed UC or worked in hospitality in their life.

@Beachbreak2411

There’s tons of jobs in hospitality etc. Why should people sit at home on their arse doing nothing and getting benefits just because they think they are too good to do the jobs availiable? There’s nothing stopping them continuing to apply and interview for the kind of jobs they want! 1000% a great decision by UC.

why is it always on the job seeker?

do you really think every employer out there is throwing contracts at everyone who walks in the door?

its the employers who choose to give jobs to people or not and obviously 99.9% of the time they choose not to.

It's a very unfair system. Skilled workers being forced in to unskilled work or worse people who don't want to work being put in care jobs.

A friend of mine figured out a workaround, she took a 0 hour contract in a factory. UC were happy with this. She then really does stick to the flexibility of the contract, so she declined to work night shifts or shifts that didn't work for her. They couldn't fire her because that is the point of 0 hour contract, she literally now has like 1 shift a fortnight or 2, because they never put her on rota unless they really have to. She refuses to quit because she can't go through the palava of "job seeking again" But she gets her full UC claim paid without issue, UC work coach leaves her alone, and to be fair she seems to be doing ok.

If the government wants people in work, they need to put in place simple and easy infection control mitigations. (Masks, vaccine passes, good ventilation). Or else there will be an ever growing number of newly disabled Long Covid sufferers.

@XenoBitch it was only a matter of time before someone turned up to support these changes. I wonder if they're even affected by them?

These changes will essentially force people into jobs they're wholly unsuitable for. I've just been reading this evening that because of the vaccine mandate babies and new mothers may find their Health Visitors are replaced by people who aren't trained in that particular sector, so safeguarding and health issues may be overlooked as they won't have the knowledge to spot these things.

Now we have the DWP forcing people into roles - many of which will be care home jobs as they're in the most need of staff - that they have no previous experience and zero interest in doing. I have elderly relatives in care homes and I most certainly don't want them cared for by people who've only taken the job because they were forced into it or suffer sanctions.

The government is making some serious mistakes and yet here we have people defending it! The mind boggles.

@CaMePlaitPas

My dp has had no applications for a job paying £38k plus bonus (nor the other t2 vacancies bar one 17 year old with no qualifications who didn't even proof read her cv!) It's no just poorly paid work that's struggling to recruit.

He needs someone willing to travel and needs to be in the office because working from home didn't work, that seems to be the issue

Separately with jobseekers. Many employers discriminate against CV gaps and/or disablity/chronic illness. Also candidates are passed by for being 'overqualified' - plus age discrimination for the over 50s.

If the government genuinely wants to get people into work, they might have to consider introducing some form of positive discrimination. Obviously only for when the applicant meets the required qualifications and skills. Perhaps a quota.

As for the insecure lower paid jobs. The answer is obvious. These jobs are often essential but simply not valued enough. They need to improve pay and working conditions.

Finally, many people receiving UC are in full-time work. There's only so much an employer (particularly a smaller business) can afford to increase wages by, before going bust.

We need to deal with the public health housing and homelessness emergency.

More genuinely affordable housing (including to rent), and then people wouldn't need ever rising (but still not enough for rent/mortgage) wages.

@Tealightsandd perfectly put.

@Tealightsandd

Separately with jobseekers. Many employers discriminate against CV gaps and/or disablity/chronic illness. Also candidates are passed by for being 'overqualified' - plus age discrimination for the over 50s.

If the government genuinely wants to get people into work, they might have to consider introducing some form of positive discrimination. Obviously only for when the applicant meets the required qualifications and skills. Perhaps a quota.

As for the insecure lower paid jobs. The answer is obvious. These jobs are often essential but simply not valued enough. They need to improve pay and working conditions.

Finally, many people receiving UC are in full-time work. There's only so much an employer (particularly a smaller business) can afford to increase wages by, before going bust.

We need to deal with the public health housing and homelessness emergency.

More genuinely affordable housing (including to rent), and then people wouldn't need ever rising (but still not enough for rent/mortgage) wages.

they wont do that, they are a bunch o landlords.

*of

@ItsCoachBombay

It's a very unfair system. Skilled workers being forced in to unskilled work or worse people who don't want to work being put in care jobs.

A friend of mine figured out a workaround, she took a 0 hour contract in a factory. UC were happy with this. She then really does stick to the flexibility of the contract, so she declined to work night shifts or shifts that didn't work for her. They couldn't fire her because that is the point of 0 hour contract, she literally now has like 1 shift a fortnight or 2, because they never put her on rota unless they really have to. She refuses to quit because she can't go through the palava of "job seeking again" But she gets her full UC claim paid without issue, UC work coach leaves her alone, and to be fair she seems to be doing ok.

What sector is your friend skilled in?

Nope.. I claimed UC (still do) and work in hospitality while I look for a job in what I really want to do.

It’s absolutely terrible and cruel - three months is a sensible amount of time to give someone to search for a new role. 4 weeks is NOTHING! People pay tax so that they can be supported in times of need. This rule is just punishing and counter productive.

@thinking123

I know UC is hard and sanctions don't work, but, I walked round my town yesterday and I would say that easily three quarters of the shops/ cafes/ restaurants had signs up asking for staff. So there is work out there besides care work.

Obviously I know it's not everyone's first choice but it's a start

I agree that needs must and many of us have to take jobs that we don't particularly want in order to make ends meet.

However, it drives me nuts when people talk about, for example, the retail industry crying out for staff. They may very well be crying out for staff, but only experienced staff. I'd be willing to bet that 100% of the jobs you mention require industry-specific experience. Lots of new cafes have opened in my area and stuck a sign in the window advertising for staff (as have existing cafes / restaurants that managed to survive COVID) - I went in every single one to enquire about the position and was told every single time that they only wanted people with experience.

I remember the days when people were trained on the job.

I had a Saturday retail job as a teen. Literally walked in whilst shopping - asked if they had any work going. The manager told me to turn up that Saturday to start working. Just like that.

Later as an office junior temp, I was sent into assignments without any previous experience. Like all the other office juniors and temps, I learnt on the job. Quickly picked it up - and if anybody couldn't get to grips they simply found more suitable alternative work, whilst the employer immediately got in a replacement.

Much simpler and better approach.

@Beachbreak2411

There’s tons of jobs in hospitality etc. Why should people sit at home on their arse doing nothing and getting benefits just because they think they are too good to do the jobs availiable? There’s nothing stopping them continuing to apply and interview for the kind of jobs they want! 1000% a great decision by UC.

And a single parent finds childcare for those random evening shifts in Nandos just like that. Of course.