Voluntary work or lose benefits

[Marjoriew]

Government intend to cut benefits of claimants on JSA who refuse to do voluntary work of 30 hours a week over a 4-week period.
Benefits could be stopped for up to 3 months if claimants refuse to comply.

Why would you find stuffing envelopes with leaflets for charities demeaning. I do that as part of the volunteer work I do for a charity, and I can't see how it's demeaning at all, it's helping a charity!

Granted, it's not the most exciting part of the job, but it's a job that the charity needs doing for any number of reasons, so someone has to do it!

Must admit to not having read through the thread, but if "no-one deserves a hand out" as someone at the beginning said, that should include employers as well as jobseekers.

In that situation I would much rather the flexibility to make my own voluntary work arrangement without the threat of it affecting my benefits. It would be a real boon to charities.

If I wasn't allowed to do that, then maybe I should try getting myself into prison where I would be due to get the minimum wage!

Thing is, if there really are all these jobs waiting at the end for jobseekers, why not just put them straight into those? It's surely not for lack of skills when graduates can't get jobs.

Well they could wash their clothes in a stream surely wubbly

Hmm, yes usual. Although really, do we want them contaminating our decent taxpayers' water ways with pot noodle stains?

curlymama - it only felt demeaning because I had just graduated with a good degree and many of my friends had got good graduate jobs. When your best friends are solicitors, medical students and people working in banking it's hard not to feel bad about yourself when you're stuffing envelopes all day for free. But as I said, I felt much better about that than staying at home all day. It turned out to be useful work as I was then given more responsibility and training which helped me to get a paid job.

My first full time job was basically stuffing envelopes. I didn't mind, it was a job with pay and everything.

i think it is a good idea. it may also stop people working cash in hand and then claiming benefits as they are too busy doing these tasks. bring in on.

I stuff envelopes even now from time to time.

Also as said above if they are working 30 hours a week as forced labour/work fare they will find it hard to work and claim benefits illegally.

Well, for 4 weeks anyway. I guess those employing them cash in hand will have plenty of others ready to step in to help out.

All those ladies employing cash in hand cleaners will have to clean their own toilets for a month

Fair enough flibbert.

And like you said, it ultimately helped you get a job, so that's got to be a really good thing.

Good post forevervac.

Prisoners do seem to be getting a good deal - they get minimum wage jobs, vote, free bed and board..
I think we are going to see a massive increase in crime!

Its so sad that our society seems to be regressing.

How about costs to the jsa claimant??

There is very little, if any, disposable money left each week...... So who will pay the costs of getting to and from the voluntary placements? Lunches? In some cases, appropriate clothing........and yes, childcare?

I would have an issue with transport.... We are fairly rural, so any placement would probably be on town. A bus an hour, £6.90 return.

No after sch clubs here either

'No, for the last ten years, immigrants weren't able to claim benefits, my husband is an immigrant and it was stamped on his passport saying 'not allowed to claim benefits' or some such wording.'

Yes, yes they can if they are EU/EEA nationals.

'And I love the way you talk about immigrants leaving their families and living in poor, cramped conditions as if in some way they were relishing this lifestyle at the expense of everyone else. Would you live in one room, working for a minimum wage, not seeing your children for months? No, but that's what people do when desperate and when there is no welfare state and they will literally have no food if they don't work. How they must laugh at all of us in their makeshift campsite with no running water...(why aren't they all in council houses, anyway?)'

I've never talked about immigrants in such a way.

They are often exploited by, as a wrote, rogue landlords who break the law by housing too many in illegal conditions.

And by employers who exploit them for cheap labour and then don't hire Brits, either, because they are paying under the minimum wage.

I was answering LFN's questions about how immigrants were able to do some jobs and correctly stated that EU/EEA nationals can claim benefits, including on children who do not live in the UK.

Because that is true.

Furthermore, people on JSA for 12 months if they are under 25 and 18 months if they are over this already have to do a 13-week, full-time compulsory 'work placement' to keep their benefit.

Oh, and the correct working is 'No recourse the public funds'.

I was a non-EU/EEA immigrant myself.

criminals have to do community service.It seems like it is putting unemployed on a par with them.

Yes the costs to the JSA claimant make these proposals unworkable (like so many of these press-release policies).

I think in practise it is unlikely that this will come into effect without further funding, and as many back to work programmes and assistance have been shelved, we should take all press releases from this government with a pinch of salt (until they have done their maths).

Ideologically, should we be supporting forced unpaid work programmes?

The point is JSA is meant to cover the cost of living, hand to mouth only.
If you have an interview and provide proof they will pay travel expenses so I'd presume they pay travel to and from these placements. There are also grants for suitable clothing if you need that too.

lol, so they're going to pay to kit out a whole raft on unemployed people to work for four weeks?

Well that's money well spent Why not just create a few real jobs instead?

Its all very well but I agree with earlier posts that it will mean people loosing their jobs. Additionally I have been volunteering for 8 months, like an earlier poster I felt that it was only fair to be doing something for my income support, however I will be stopping soon as I have received such a frosty reception from paid employees. I have been told that is as they fear that Volunteers will end up replacing them so try to put people off doing it. I fear this scheme may lead to JSA claimants being 'punished'for government initiatives.

All very well, but how about a few real jobs for the jobless to do...

My personal experience.

Never claimed benefits, at good times paid higher rate tax, left abusive husband, still scraped by on odd jobs. Then my life fell apart, horrible custody battle (ongoing), dropped from fire service training due to me not being available at weekends (as its the only time I see my children) , no freelance work.

I lost the huge equity in my house and am now on minimal housing benefit, claiming as a single person, will probably lose my house, which means when it goes to court my ex will get the children.

Fucked if I'm spending 40 hours per week picking up leaves.