Are we morally obliged to work ?

[Justthisonce12]

630,000 economically inactive people in the UK not claiming benefits. Early retiree’s I guess.

Hunt plans to tackle this and encourage work force participation to allow businesses to grow. ie cheap labour I presume ? But also preventing a brain drain.

Will be interesting to see how he plans to address this.

Our local primary has two clubs that would provide wrap around care, but there is a restriction on the spaces and it still involves people being available to run it and do the admin , food orders and just everything really.
It just about breaks even , especially as food has gone up too and staff have to be paid.
I can see why some schools are reluctant to start one up.

Especially with the recruitment problems now.

I’m not sure why you think younger people or pensioners should be paying YOUR share of what needs to be put in to cover people who really can’t work

I'm not sure I said that, especially as I do work and despite working 3 days a week, am a higher rate tax payer and have been a higher rate tax payer for a large proportion of my working life. I have never not worked other than the odd month here and there between jobs.

But the point is, pensioners who pay tax do pay their fair share (and probably paid in their working lives even if they don't pay tax now) and younger people who are working pay tax so cover the costs too.

Get yourself appointed to the House of Lords....
£323 per day attendance allowance just for turning up, plus travel expenses and highly subsidised restaurant facilities. No electorate to vote you out either - so a job for life.

Maybe Hunt should start there if he wants to make some savings?

That's more in a day than we claim in a week from UC as a family of five with one if the adults too poorly to work!!!
How the xxxx is that fair. When I could I paid well in to the system. I would love to be able to work. I'd live to be able to eat properly too and put the heating on- but no. I'm making myself worse by not being able to do these things. Making the kid's asthma worse too.
The way disabled people in this country are treated is utterly disgusting.

Those who make the decisions need a dose of reality from this side of the fence.

(Throws self onto the pyre)

I agree. Where I last worked you were expected to make or fetch your hot morning or afternoon drink and drink it at your desk rather than go to the canteen with colleagues for a chat as happened in my earlier days. Also lunch - latterly it was frowned upon to spend more than 20 minutes away from your desk whereas it used to be the case you were expected to go out to the shops/to the canteen/for a walk for up to an hour.

I remember years ago in a factory we would all be lined up with our bags and coats at 5 pm waiting so we could punch out. We were also counted as in as soon as we punched in the morning. None of this, you have to be ready at your desk with your PC on before you are counted as starting work.

I totally agree, and it's not just restricted to office jobs, as a care assistant I was expected to be changed (not allowed to wear uniform outside work - fair enough, but also nowhere set aside for us to change either, no dedicated staff area anywhere and this place was purpose built, so we got changed in a cupboard full of cleaning stuff - where we also kept our bags and coats) and in handover at least 15 minutes before we started getting paid, when challenged we were told it benefitted us all because then you can get away on time! Erm well only because the next shift gives you 15 minutes of their time free too!

There was no where to eat or take your breaks away from the 'floor', like I said this place was purpose built and within the last 10 years so it goes to show how little staff were regarded even in the planning phase - and we only had a toilet because it's a legal requirement. 14 hour shifts and minimum wage.

It does seem like we're just regarded as robots these days without the need to rest, eat, drink and use the toilet like humans have to do. And don't even get me started on punishing people for getting ill or needing medical treatment now and again like humans tend to!

I used to be a community support worker and often I was scheduled to end a visit at 1pm (it started at 10), then be at the next one at 2pm...it was an hours drive away, so no chance of any lunch. If I got there late then I would have to leave late. There were many days when I went the whole shift without having anything to eat.

I've known a few who worked on the community and their stories are all similar to yours, and they got a pittance in petrol allowance too.
It's shocking how people who are so relied upon are treated and what they're expected to put up with to keep someone else's profit margin looking good.

I was a TEACHER at college and still got treated like crap. Budget cuts meant they got rid of permanent jobs and hired the same teachers back as self employed contractors through an agency which took half of their earnings. It still worked out cheaper for the employer because they didn’t have to pay for holidays or sick pay or maternity or pension contributions.

I was only paid for classroom time but I had to be there about 30 minutes beforehand to fetch the books and set up. Then they would schedule me for lessons 9-11, 11.15-12.15, 1.15-3.15 and 3.30-5.30. Then I had to spend half an hour tidying up and putting the books away. So I was at work for 10 hours but only got paid for 7.5 hours.

And that was a good day! On a bad day I’d have a lesson 9-11 then would have to hang around unpaid to teach another lesson 1.15-3.15. A full time teacher would be paid for that time and would do marking. I would still end up doing marking but wasn’t being paid! Sometimes my second lesson would be at another campus but I wouldn’t get paid any travel time. Unsurprisingly I don’t teach any more!

I am one of these people. I have glamping in my garden which I rent out, this is my sole income. Its counted as 'income from property' on a tax return so on.paper I have no 'income' as it's classed as an investment. There must be thousands like me. I'm the 'escape to the country' cliche!

I certainly didn't jack my whole previous life in in order to get another ( worse) job to make Jeremy Hunt happy.