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.

To all those who cite childcare or caring responsibities as a reason for people not being able to carry out these tasks, what the hell are such people claiming JSA for anyway? JSA is for people actively seeking work! If you couldn't work if you're offered a job, then you're claiming fraudulently in the first place- ie you are declaring availability when you aren't available.

Seems some posters are jumping straight in with righteous indignation without actually applying some basic thinking

Because violet, it is possible to seek work that fits in around your needs and that is allowed.

Will this forced work offer the same choices?

I guess we could force half of them to pick up paper and the other half to look after the paper picker uppers kids?

I'd have thought that people on jsa would be willing to arrange childcare when they got a job but it's pretty hard to arrange (and pay for) childcare for some short-term, voluntary work. Even if the voluntary work were long-term, how are people to pay for the childcare?

It's all a lie.

New Deal has been going for years, under the New Deal I worked 4 days a week in 3 different crappy charity shops, well one of them was all right cos they let me use the till and serve customers, the other 2 wouldn't let me anywhere near the money (cos I be scum).

Did a very enjoyable 6 month stint in an Animal Home and did a good awful couple of months turning into a morlock in the basement of WH Smith tidying up 15 years worth of mess in the stock room on my lonesome.

Cut off benefits if you don't do it and all that crap, all ready being done and been done for years, only new thing here is the interesting inclusion of Council jobs, so the Tories cut the number of public sector workers by sacking all the low level Council street cleaners and the like and then, when they are on JSA demand they do the job for their £60 a week or else, very cunning you ConDem scumbags, very cunning indeed.

Plenty of jobs is there ? is that why over 200 people applied for 10 jobs at a recently opened new store in my town ..didn't take long for the sense of entitlement quote to get bandied about

My dp when made redundant would gladly have picked up litter for a wage

usual, not sure if that was in response to my 'It will take real jobs away from those genuinely seeking work and there are plenty of them.' comment?

I meant plenty of genuine job seekers, not plenty of jobs. Not worded brilliantly, sorry.

Wasn't in response to your post wubbly..was in response to the there are plenty of low skilled jobs out there posts

Does anyone remember Bowling For Columbine where Micheal Moor described 'Workfare' in the US. Poor people bussed miles away from home, leaving children at home, to work in fast food restaurants for a pittance.

Social worker friend was telling 'me the other day about a client who worked got Tesco in return for his Giro for two months as 'training' and was then told there was no job for him.

This makes 'me feel angry. It is exploitation.

Someone above mentioned teaching jobs, there are teaching jobs but not enough. Lots of NQTs are working as cover supervisors or doing maternity leaves. In particular I think it is tough for primary teachers.

I do not understand why someone on JSA would not want to do voluntary work. When I was on benefits I had to feel as if I was paying back for what I as taking. My voluntary work enabled me to also make contacts and lead to paid work.

I always said I'd be fine for work. If I couldn't get a job in my field, I could always work in a pub. Ha! There aren't even any of those around and we're talking the North East here, we're known for our partying.

Our local council already uses agency workers for the gardening and street cleaning jobs,so they can get rid any time they want..so this will make it even harder for agency workers to find work

Yes there were 80 applicants for one teaching position near us

I remember all the poor teenagers getting exploited by yts schemes back in the day..£40 for a full weeks work

So in summary..

• lots of unemployed
• lack of jobs
• govt want more disabled declared fit for work
• minimum wage not enough to live on without state help

And the govt have put in place, to deal with the above mess,

• people being forced to work for less than minimum wage (if you decide that their JSA is payment)*
• those who are disabled, but not considered disabled enough (eg. invisible illnesses like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) forced to work
• low paid workers (eg. street cleaners) vs. free/voluntary workers - guess who employers keep on?
• forcing people to spend their time in "voluntary" work rather than job hunting

*if you are in a minimum wage job you are eligible for top up credits (WTC), if you are doing full time voluntary work in exchange for JSA you wont be eligible.

Yes, there are scroungers out there. But I ask, for what feels like the millionth time, do you honestly feel that it is worth punishing the honest/struggling majority, just to hurt the scrounging minority?

Theres plenty of thought behind it, the backbone of the public sector cuts, sack all the low level council workers and force the unemployed to do the work for a pittance or else, Council gets to save money, Government can wave around charts of the money they have saved, the public will not see any difference in services.

But loads of unemployed people will be treated like crap and taken advantage of, some of which will be doing the job they did before they got sacked to make way for the JSA slaves, such people will be angry and go on rampages attacking people with pitchforks and brooms (well I can hope, I know I would).

Yep Ryoko. Add of course, it all adds to coffers to provide a nice little tax cut in time for the next GE.

So 30 hours over 4 weeks....so that is basically one working day per week, or just over 1 hour per day....That does not sound unreasonable to me. The roles created COULD make a difference in the community eg helping with the elderly, tidying up run down areas, running clubs etc.

God when I was unemployed for 6 months, it was the mind numbing boredom that got me. I would have loved to have something to do.

If you are in proper paid employment and have dc, 80% (soon to be 70%) of your childcare is covered by Tax credits, which is why these parents can pay for childcare when in paid employment. To be on a 'workfare' scheme like this, you would have no entitlement to the childcare element of Tax credits, so you would be UNABLE to ay for childcare, £65 JSA...£19 for an after school club for 2 dc for ONE AFTERNOON in my area.

New supermarket opened in my town just under a year ago. 120 jobs...1200 applicants. Plenty of people I know work in unskilled, low paid jobs, my DP being one of them. If they got someone to 'volunteer' to do his job in return for their JSA, sooner or later his unscrupulous employers would either drop DP's wages down to £65 a week, or sack DP and get another JSA claimant in to do his job. How does THAT help low income families that are already relying on these low skilled, low paid jobs?

I'm sure there's more thoughts on this floating around in my head, will come back later and explain myself (hopefully) more clearly.

It is akin to slavery really, isn't it.

"But loads of unemployed people will be treated like crap and taken advantage of, some of which will be doing the job they did before they got sacked to make way for the JSA slaves"

It's ridiculous :(

ANd they're saying 30 hrs a week FOR 4 weeks, not 30 hrs over 4 weeks.

Ah sorry - misread it. Need more coffee.....