work programme after 2 years

[Emma078]

Its always charity shops they get people to go.

 

Is it 9 to 5 everyday, as that's 40 hours and I thought it should be for 30 hours.

 

I'm waiting for my letter to come through to tell me where I'm going to be, but I've done charity shops before on new deal. It was each day all day and I only lasted about 2 weeks. The only time the manager spoke to me was to tell me 'If you want to buy anything its full price, we don't give a discount'. I was there with about 3 others who where on community service, they was only there about once a week and when I was talking to one of them and told them I was there for 6 months everyday he was shocked and replied 'God what did you do? Armed robbery'. I left when I was told I needed to start doing Saturdays too

 

It didn't help me find work and I hate the fact of being punished for being unemployed

[Chester6]

Charity shops are an easy option, it tends to be easier then a suitable place for you, it's been like that for years though, a girl who wanted a mechanic job got a charity one instead. They whine about it being for references etc but it never seems to help much

[hatsanman]

Its always charity shops they get people to go.

 

Is it 9 to 5 everyday, as that's 40 hours and I thought it should be for 30 hours.

 

I'm waiting for my letter to come through to tell me where I'm going to be, but I've done charity shops before on new deal. It was each day all day and I only lasted about 2 weeks. The only time the manager spoke to me was to tell me 'If you want to buy anything its full price, we don't give a discount'. I was there with about 3 others who where on community service, they was only there about once a week and when I was talking to one of them and told them I was there for 6 months everyday he was shocked and replied 'God what did you do? Armed robbery'. I left when I was told I needed to start doing Saturdays too

 

It didn't help me find work and I hate the fact of being punished for being unemployed

im there for 4 weeks starting tuesday but i get thursday off each week as i reckon they might have some-one else in on a thursday comunity service or whatever hence my hours being 9 till 5 but add that to my travelling time inward and home i wont be doing no job searches on days im there. i told the idiots im who arranged it im waiting to have both my knees replaced and cant stand for long periods but dosnt seem like they listened. if its constructive i wont mind one bit but i fear with all things these people arrange it will be a complete waste of time. as for putting it on my cv who are they kidding. ive been out of work now since feb 2009 through redundancy so am sure a 4 week spell with the sally army wont improve my job prospects not by much anyway.

[Mr.P]

just got my mwa placement come through and its with the sally army shop

 

Was going to go looking for some furniture & the S.A. shop was on the list of places to visit - Will still go, but only to berate the manager for using forced labour.

[JustInterested]

just got my mwa placement come through and its with the sally army shop in my local town start tuesday 9 till 5.

 

If you particularly don't want to work in the SA shop (I wouldn't) you can say you have a sincerely held conscientious objection because of its religious nature. This is a legitimate reason that's covered in the decision maker's guide.

[Emma078]

I've got my letter today about mwa, its of Learndirect Employability (formally know as JHP group) It says it starts on Tuesday 22nd at a Cat Rescue charity shop.

 

Its not near to me, god knows how long it will take to get there as its going to be 2 bus rides. It says my last day will be 18/11. My timetable shows me going in each weekday at 8am and finishing at 8pm and shows weekends at 9am start and finishing at 5pm which I was shocked at and ready for a argument but I looked up the charity shop on google and its only open Monday to Saturday 10am till 4pm

 

The letter says travel expenses will be reimbursed if deemed appropriate. I have to photocopy receipts from a full weeks attendance and attach them to the travel expense claim form (even though I don't have a claim form and it doesn't say where to send it to anyway)

 

It also says my next appointment with learndirect will be on the 18/11 which I must attend even though I've never had a appointment with them and I have no idea where they are. The letter is addressed from another town

[Mr.P]

It also says my next appointment with learndirect will be on the 18/11 which I must attend even though I've never had a appointment with them and I have no idea where they are. The letter is addressed from another town

 

Time for some letter writing.

 

Check the bus timetables and see if it is practical to get to the cat rescue shop and home again at the times stated in the letter (ignore actual opening times) - In more rural areas, buses don't start running until quite late and shut down in the evening. Be selective about which service operator you use, and use the timetable to your advantage. Also state that the phrase "expenses will be reimbursed if deemed appropriate" is unacceptable - Learndirect will provide a prepaid travel card before placement in line with DWP guidance.

 

As for the appointment on the 18th - Simply state that without an address for a conveniently located office and a map, along with an undertaking to refund travel expenses, you can not attend. Send a note to your local JCP office with a copy of the LE letter pointing out that without an address plus map, the appointment is defective and fails to comply with DWP guidance.

[Dom86]

Got another new problem today;

 

I signed back on today, after signing off on Tuesday 08 Oct, so I could do my exam the next day. My adviser booked me an appointment on the day of my exam. On my last signing on day (last week of September), I told an adviser whom was covering for my usual adviser whom was away at the time, that I had an exam on Wednesday, and I will be signing off the day before then. I rang the Jobcentre at midday today, to ask why I haven't received payment up to the date I signed off, and got told they signed me off on my last signing day, which was back on the last week of September, but I didn't sign off then, but a week later, on Tuesday 08 Oct.

 

This is all out of order, I'm now left with no money, had to go into my overdraft to buy a bit of food today. I signed off, because on the day off the exam, I wanted to spend the morning revising in the library, then do the exam in the afternoon, I couldn't have done a Jobsearch that day, so its only reasonable that I signed off; now they're being difficult, unreasonable and malicious as usual. On the phone today, an employee at my local Jobcentre said she was sending out some kind 'form' for me to do, probably an appeal form.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Dom86

[Dom86]

The whole attitude towards me (and other unemployed people) is staggering. I'm not only trying desperately to find work, but also trying to gain employment related training and skills, in the hope that by working on study, if I succeed, I will be more employable and wont have to sign on ever again. But they seem to be doing there d*m best to hinder my efforts.

 

Its utterly depressing and stressful.

[Dom86]

One fight after another! the Jobcentre, and there many various programmes, have never provided any help. And when I asked a couple of months ago if I could do a CSS card, they originally said yes, but then a couple of weeks later when I asked what was going on with this, they ruled it out completely, and tried to throw me onto MWA.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Dom86

[Dom86]

I don't understand any of it, it just seems purposefully malicious now.

[Dom86]

I wouldn't be surprised if there reading mine and ours', posts too.

[sillygirl1]

You should NOT have signed off when you had your exam, the exam was part of a higher education course to get you a better chance of a job.

 

What you should have done was write to the Centre Manager (and had it to them personally) complaining about the adviser knowing you were on this course making your life very difficult). The adviser has overstepped their mark and I would now personally name them in a complaint to the Jobcentre, and don't forget to copy in your local MP.

[Dom86]

You should NOT have signed off when you had your exam, the exam was part of a higher education course to get you a better chance of a job.

 

What you should have done was write to the Centre Manager (and had it to them personally) complaining about the adviser knowing you were on this course making your life very difficult). The adviser has overstepped their mark and I would now personally name them in a complaint to the Jobcentre, and don't forget to copy in your local MP.

 

The only reason I signed off is because they forced me too, I asked if they could rearrange, but they weren't interested. And as I wasn't able to do a Jobsearch that day, I thought I better sign off. Last year when I had an exam at around the same time, they automatically signed me so I didn't have to turn up on the day of the exam.

[Dom86]

So what's my chances of them taking an understanding of my appeal, and paying me up to the date I signed off?

 

Or, are they going to force me back into debt again!?

[Dom86]

Whom oversees and decides appeals too?

[Dom86]

The manager at my local Jobcentre doesn't like me, after the letter I sent to complain about various issues around 'MWA' which had not been considered or acted upon.

[Flickyhecky]

I'm off to the Job Centre in 30 mins to attend the Skills Conditionality National Careers Service thingy.

 

I get to create my first UJ account, they are going to give me a new e-mail addy, cos they can whistle if they think i'm going to give them my proper one!

 

Now i need a unique password for it...any suggestions?

 

Attended a "Back to Work" workshop last week with a group of 9 other people, basically the woman laid down the law about what's expected from us now, 40 hour job search, all the different ways of looking for work, sanctions.

 

I was the only one brave enough to pipe up about a question about answering your mobile... I have a long standing fear about answering my phone to people i don't know, i usually ignore it, but the woman said it COULD be a santcionable offence, as it would mean i'm technically not available for work if i don't answer it. (I only answer my phone if i know someone's going to call)

[helcaster]

What's a CSS card? I'm starting my CSCS course next week.

[Mr.P]

Now i need a unique password for it...any suggestions?

 

I was the only one brave enough to pipe up about a question about answering your mobile.

 

Passwords should be easy to remember, but avoid short ones with personal connections. Names of pets or family members are not recommended - If you have a favourite film/song/book/play substitute some of the letters with numbers. e.g. An old black & white film of the war time efforts to destroy Germany's dams would be: Th3 Dam Bu5t3r5

 

As for mobile phones (and land lines) - Can't afford a phone on the meagre JSA payment...

[sillygirl1]

Talk-Talk do a very good deal on mobile phones (and you don't have to pay by direct debit), £10 for 500 minutes and virtually unlimited texts and internet, £5 for 300 minutes. I am very happy with their customer services too. No long hold times.

 

Back to the thread, I filled in my ATOS form yesterday and sent it off and have had a phone call this morning and go to the Occupational Therapy place on 4th November, so things are moving along.

 

I haven't heard anything from the Work Programme people at all, which is good. I think if they did a long term study on the effect of the Work Programme they would find it fails most people because the advisers don't have enough time to spend on people.

 

As I keep saying, if they concentrated on people with no or very limited work experience they would have a better outcome. I really object to them 'looking over my shoulder' when doing the job search in their offices, I have proved to them time and time again I have already applied for the jobs which came up on my profile.

[hatsanman]

does anyone know if mwa includes saturdays ? reason i ask is ive just done my first day on mwa and they asked me if id have friday off and work saturday instead which i thought was strange.

[osdset]

From the horses mouth http://indusdelta.co.uk/discussion/work_programme_returners/13932

[JustInterested]

does anyone know if mwa includes saturdays ? reason i ask is ive just done my first day on mwa and they asked me if id have friday off and work saturday instead which i thought was strange.

 

The only limit is that the MWA must be no more than 75% of your agreed hours (the hours on your JSAg) and as that is 40 for most people it means they can't make you work more than 30 hours per week. But there's no regulation about which days you can or cannot work so they can make you work any day.

 

However, it sounds like they're using you to make up for lack of staff and that's not allowed.

[hatsanman]

The only limit is that the MWA must be no more than 75% of your agreed hours (the hours on your JSAg) and as that is 40 for most people it means they can't make you work more than 30 hours per week. But there's no regulation about which days you can or cannot work so they can make you work any day.

 

However, it sounds like they're using you to make up for lack of staff and that's not allowed.

i was told they were short of staff on saturday as only 2 in so would i change and have friday off instaed. i said i always do things on a saturday which ive done for years and most jobs saturdays and sundays are overtime paid at overtime rate. on my paperw ork from esg weekend are not mentioned at all just wekdays.