Nobody is allowed to choose not to work. Fed up of hearing this expression.

[girlfriend44]

I keep hearing people say people who choose not to work. Target them.
Nobody is allowed to choose not to work. I wonder if some people actually know what they are talking about?

Nobody is allowed to just lounge around and not look for work.

Able bodied people on UC who don't have a paid job are harassed all the time.
They will probably be attending interviews at the jobcentre once a week, where they have to provide evidence they are jobsearching 35 hours a week.

They can be sanctioned over any little thing.
They have to attend any courses they are sent on, even if they are useless courses. Non attendance will end in a sanction.

The staff can arrange interviews on their behalf if the employer has a tie up with the jobcentre which some do.
If it's deemed you didn't try hard enough at the interview, the employer can discuss this with the staff,and you'll be hauled up and sanctioned for not trying.

Those who think people choose not to work please be educated.
It's a hostile environment for anyone out of work.
Not every able bodied person can find employment.
Your not just allowed to sit at home and choose not to work though.

You'll have a claimant commitment and you have to provide evidence of jobsearching. 35 hours too.

I think alot of people who comment don't really know. Everyone is under pressure.
The days of just signing on once a fortnight and not having to.prove your doing everything you can have long gone.

I am going to say I don't support Labour's use of Tory policies and approaches.

What?? I have an opinion that differs from yours. You are entitled to yours and I'm entitled to mine. I don't want to answer a slough of personal questions as that's not how I think we should be on MN threads.

I suggest you go undercover as a long term jobseeker too, see how many hoops you have to jump through, and see how many sanctions your threatened with.

How many sanctions have you actually had?

My ex son-in-law now age 47 after signing on for over 20 years, he now has a job, they never made him get a job, thats why my DD left him, he never stayed in a job longer than 2 weeks

@girlfriend44 There ARE jobs though, you just think they are “shitty” and don’t want them.

Very poor attitude when that is what lots of people actually do for a living.

Sometimes and for many people, any job is better than no job.

I also complete UC information every month for a friend, it really isn’t as difficult as you making it out to be. I’ve been doing this for him for nearly two years because English isn’t his first language.

One of my in laws is 54 and has decided he is retiring he is self employed earning good money and is now going to the doctor ready to claim he can’t work due to ill health but he said he is sick of working he is choosing to stop when he could easily continue his job or do a driving job, shop work etc

That'll be it. Every single one of us who has posted on this thread who has a friend or family member who is gaming the system is lying, going of hearsay or guesses.

As if.

Why are some people so reluctant to acknowledge there are people abusing the system? I don't get it.
Do they genuinely think the system is infallible?
Do they think nobody would ever do such a thing?
Do they think all the people with first hand experience of scroungers are lying?
I don't understand

@MightymoogI agree with you.
people are absolutely abusing the system.
these benefits are supposed to be for the most needy and vulnerable. Not a lifestyle choice. If they clamp down on those abusing it, they could give more to those who need it

I know someone who chooses not to work. She's not disabled. She just enjoys her free time daytripping and at the gym.

Do you honestly believe that those claiming UC are looking for work 35hrs a week? Really? No, they don't. It may be a rule but it's not a rule that has even been stuck to.

Here's one for the benefit bashers,
I became disabled, I had long standing mental health issues but then became severely unwell which has led to unrepaired damage and disability.
I am educated, worked since I left sixth form, worked until I wore myself down ( in a senior health care role) I'm 31 now.
I claim UC ( HUSBAND WORKS) , ESA and enhanced pip ( both components)
I absolutely hate and despise not being able to work, I so desperately want to work again however the occupation that I would be able to do within my capabilities is just not available.

Everyone who is young are not benefit scum who don't want to work and sit on our arses all day.

Not having a job makes me feel like shit but this is the hand I've been dealt.

@Ilovegoldies but is she claiming benefits ? Because if she isn’t I’m sure most of us don’t care if she chooses to do bugger all- plenty of non working wives married to comfortably off blokes in this position -

@CaptainBeanThief I’m so sorry you are in this position- do you think you could do other things at all as clearly you would like to do something?

”she has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and so is entitled to benefits “ .
Is there no scope in the decision making process of the claims accessors when faced with a women that has never worked who now has no dependent children and might have to get a job to be able to request further information on the nature of her fibromyalgia?

@Crikeyalmighty
My CPN has referred me to an animal therapy course but it could take a while.
I am worried about going back to work, not in a can't be arsed - ill lose my benefits way- because my confidence is shattered.
I worked hard for my qualifications and worked hard to work my way up and now ill never be able to do the hard manual long hours again.
It's shit, with that being said - I do want to get back out there and contribute to society and get some sort of quality of life back.
Not all young people like to be on benefits ( I know a lot of people do) and I hate being judged as one.

The psychology behind not wanting to admit that there are people cheating the benefit system by making up symptoms is interesting. These are probably also the sort of people who:

Think that we can change the tax system to charge Amazon / Facebook / Google more and that will solve our tax issues.

Think that people can change gender.

Don’t want to admit that Hamas are terrorists.

Think that the NHS can keep going under the current funding model,

etc, etc. They’re asking us to ‘be kind’ and turn a blind eye to inconvenient truths. If we just ignore the fact that claims for mental health are skyrocketing in a totally and utterly implausible manner we are going to totally bankrupt the country. Face facts!

I’m pleased Labour are taking these actions.

Good God !!

Friend was sanctioned because his wife died and he was too distressed to attend his appointment two days later. He told them but their attitude was basically 'tough'.

Ha ha say you middle class without saying you middle class.

Really? That’s hard to believe. The rules are really specific and having worked in a job centre, applied to everyone. If you are fit and well and without any caring responsibilities you have to attend job centre appointments with a work coach once a week for the first 13 weeks. You also have to evidence work searching for 35 hours a week. You are also really required to do various activities such as see someone to help you with a CV, attend courses and job fairs, help with literacy etc, and as the pp said sometimes you have mandatory job interviews, sometimes in the job centre within earshot of the work coaches.

it really isn’t easy to just not work if you are not unwell/disabled (and you have to prove that, you can’t just make it up), or you have caring responsibilities (ie a very young child, or a disabled person who receives a qualifying disability benefit).

I wouldn’t want to work with someone who didn’t want to work and did only the bare minimum they could get away with. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have to work but having no work ethic and a can’t be arsed, disinterested attitude is not productive or valuable in many cases and just causes a toxic environment for the people who have to work with them.

When the work capability assessment is dropped and the LCWRA component is officially the UC health element instead will people who fail to qualify for pip basically be expected to work and receive sanctions if they don't?