work programme after 2 years

[hatsanman]

It won't be litter picking, we will be sent to work for free at Poundland. As the motto says "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for Poundland".

i really hope if they are going to do it they come up with something constructive and original now that would be a refreshing change.

[hatsanman]

ok lets say 100 people are sent to the council to litter pic, parks departments etc etc,,helmets gloves high viz vests safety boots, brushes shovels wheelbarrows etc etc supervisors,safety officers, office staff to do paperwork,transport to get them from job to job..multiply this by thousands of councils,the costs would be massive

the government dont care about the cost in cash as they are hoping its going to be a big votewinner at election time and thats it. they said its going to cost 300 million and will get the money from dept cuts so all this money they are now going to find has been wasted over the past 3 and a half years. talk about playing with the public purse strings. proper training schemes with proper jobs at the end of them are what we need but what do i know. im 60 years old now and have worked all my life untill now and being made to feel like a criminal isnt nice at all but honestly thats how you are made to feel. work for my dole, bring it on mr osbourne i for one cant wait.

[san_d]

i really hope if they are going to do it they come up with something constructive and original now that would be a refreshing change.

Yes, dream on. The public is completely lobotomised and will accept anything that comes from the media. If they come up that Poundland is community work, then it is.

[sillygirl1]

I can't physically do shelf filling, cleaning, lifting or carrying so I am hoping when the ESA assessment phase finishes I will be in the Support group.

 

As I keep saying, the CURRENT government were DIRECTLY responsible for me loosing my job via their 'service sector cuts' and the CURRENT government have done nowt to help me retrain or set up my own business (at 55 I am considered 'too old' to get a business running successfully - even though I have a skill which is in short supply at the moment).

 

The government are aware that the public are now not 'completely lobotomised' as san_d stated and that they need to be careful who they target, as many of the 'completely lobotomised' public will be working alongside 'slave labour' which is something they do not want to do as they get stained with the same brush - and of course if 'slaves' can do the job then their jobs are on the line.

 

Sorry San_D, but it is a LOOSE-LOOSE situation for the government AND the media

[hatsanman]

Yes, dream on. The public is completely lobotomised and will accept anything that comes from the media. If they come up that Poundland is community work, then it is.

i must say you hit the nail on the head there. i think the gov havnt aclue yet how it will run as yesterday the treasury changed the way it will run 3 times in the space of 5 hours so what chance have we got.

[hatsanman]

I can't physically do shelf filling, cleaning, lifting or carrying so I am hoping when the ESA assessment phase finishes I will be in the Support group.

 

As I keep saying, the CURRENT government were DIRECTLY responsible for me loosing my job via their 'service sector cuts' and the CURRENT government have done nowt to help me retrain or set up my own business (at 55 I am considered 'too old' to get a business running successfully - even though I have a skill which is in short supply at the moment).

 

The government are aware that the public are now not 'completely lobotomised' as san_d stated and that they need to be careful who they target, as many of the 'completely lobotomised' public will be working alongside 'slave labour' which is something they do not want to do as they get stained with the same brush - and of course if 'slaves' can do the job then their jobs are on the line.

 

Sorry San_D, but it is a LOOSE-LOOSE situation for the government AND the media

according to government guidelines the work for your benefits will include the disabled and the mentally ill, where will it all end. i am waiting for both my knees to be replaced but if i can move at all im deemed fit for work . i should find out on thursday where my mwa will be, 4 weeks work, wonderfull.

[osdset]

Sooner or later an ESA claimant will get hurt on one of these schemes, the no win no fee mob will clean up. The Daily Mail will report record compensation being awarded left right and centre as more follow suit. The public will be outraged and the government will quietly stop mandating the sick.

[sillygirl1]

odset, I agree, mind you it will only take one 'disadvantaged person' working on one of these schemes painting some rich person's house to break a window for them to claim a fortune from their insurers!

 

The whole scheme has already been proven to be as good as useless at a time there are NO JOBS.

 

Goodness knows what will happen in a couple of years time when the first lot of spoilt kids come off their university courses, what jobs will they be doing - I know, processing all the paperwork from these mad schemes!

 

Seeing as their level of understanding and knowledge will be zilch I forsee a massive backlog built up very quickly.

[osdset]

odset, I agree, mind you it will only take one 'disadvantaged person' working on one of these schemes painting some rich person's house to break a window for them to claim a fortune from their insurers!

 

Must be my misspent youth, but I can see an opportunity for some creative insurance swindles forming there.

[sillygirl1]

Yes, the swindlers will probably be the 'idle rich' cashing in on the policies they have been paying out on for some years... rather than the poor person who wasn't given sufficient training or supervision.

[hatsanman]

Yes, dream on. The public is completely lobotomised and will accept anything that comes from the media. If they come up that Poundland is community work, then it is.

just this minute read news website where it says poundland are eyeing up another 1000 shops so looks like they are getting in early.

[hatsanman]

Sooner or later an ESA claimant will get hurt on one of these schemes, the no win no fee mob will clean up. The Daily Mail will report record compensation being awarded left right and centre as more follow suit. The public will be outraged and the government will quietly stop mandating the sick.

it wont only be esa claiments as any accident at work and the claims will just flood in.

[RebeccaPidgeon]

this is just me but i cant wait as id love to do any work but i hope if it all ends in a mess the government will own up to it being down to them. the idea is supposed to be according to the latest news only those they think are working on the side will be asked to attend jcp everyday so they get forced into leaving benefit system or the job they are working in. those who are sent out to work will do max 30 hours plus 10 hours of job searching per week. i did mandatory work placement in my first year with jcp where the onus was on them to find me a workplace for 4 weeks and they could not find one i found it myself. now 2 and a half years on last week my advisor said we will have to consider put you on the mandatory work scheme next week so i just said yes please the sooner the better so lets see if they find me a place this time. another anouncement was all the folks who go on the governments work for dole scheme will be for 6 months then if still on the dole back to jcp. feels like being on a roundabout going around and around.

Unless the regulations are revamped, such as those established for Mandatory Work Activity, it is made clear that employers should not recruit unemployed for work which could be filled by existing staff or those who may be recruited on the open market.

 

I cannot think of any job which could not be filled by either an employee, or by someone recruited from the open market - and, lets not place a higher threshold on Third Sector Organisations (such as a Charity Shop) than Private Sector. Within the Third Sector, there are reports of Senior Managers being awarded a generous salary and expenses package, so torpedoing any myth that they should be considered as Charitable Organisations.

 

I am not sure whether JCP will be able to invite any candidates into the Job Centre on a daily basis for supervised job searches - even if the candidate is suspected of working and perpetrating Benefit Fraud. Unfortunately, JCP is under-resourced as it is, more experienced staff have left, and an increasing number of short term contract staff remain. As much as George Osbourne may suggest that candidates will be required to attend the JCP on a Daily Basis, unless each JCP Office intends to set up an old style Job Club, it is not going to be a practicable proposition - even subcontracting the work to a Private Job Club may prove to be too expensive.

 

However, if push comes to shove, then I would opt to attend the Job Centre each day for a supervised job search.

[osdset]

JCP will face a few difficulties if job seekers have to spend up to seven hours per day there, they don't have public toilets for a start.

[sillygirl1]

My facilities at home are more suitable than the tiny cubbyholes in the JCP offices, and they are set up for my disabilities, which include using speech to text when I am going through a very bad time.

 

Last time in the JCP office there was no space for me to use a computer mouse left handed (as I always need to do due to said disabilities) so they were a bit stuck. I did produce a portable mouse and offered to attach that to their system which they then accepted!

[Nystagmite]

What job hunting can you actually do for 35 hours a week? There's only so many websites and so many employers you can speak to.

[hatsanman]

i see trouble ahead mr osbourne

[mr_mastiff]

JCP will face a few difficulties if job seekers have to spend up to seven hours per day there, they don't have public toilets for a start.

 

Were are they going to fit the people. Every public building must conform to fire regulations. What is the maximum number of people allowed into the building at one time.

[jonruti]

Brilliant, well done Ian Duncan Smith and your Tory cronies. I attended a course on 'Employment Skills' with my WP provider which collapsed after two weeks due to constant sniping at the Tutor (A serving police officer), and this was with someone who was qualified to deliver such sessions! This was a class of only eight people for six hours a week - I can confidently predict the chaos that will result with untrained and unqualified staff. I might go for this option myself - should be much more fun than sweeping the streets for free.

[bedofweeds]

I am hoping when the ESA assessment phase finishes I will be in the Support group.

 

As I keep saying, the CURRENT government were DIRECTLY responsible for me loosing my job via their 'service sector cuts' and the CURRENT government have done nowt to help me retrain or set up my own business (at 55 I am considered 'too old' to get a business running successfully - even though I have a skill which is in short supply at the moment).

 

 

Can I be serious for once. Similar to you, I receive ESA, but in the Support Group and have done since 2009 when I retired from the Civil Service aged 60 - it was a choice between JSA or ESA - and as I had more chance with ESA I went down that route.

I drew my pension as was the norm for those aged 60 and was looking forward to a rest so to speak.

 

Anyhow, since 2009, the Tories have completely decimated most departments of their staff in the guise of 'cutting out the waste'. Along with those like me that retired, many 1,000's of others were made redundant.

 

The unfortunate thing about what they did (and they didn't listen to me at the time either) was that they lost the most experienced members of staff (retirement for some and others they slimmed down from the top). Yes they were the most expensive in terms of salary.

 

Yet and I have talked to friends and ex colleagues of the departments I was involved in and many cannot understand why those aged 55+ who really now don't want to start a 'new' career weren't offered positions that would not be paid (no need to pensions and redundancy packages are enough).

 

Personally I would have jumped at the chance to go back at 60 and stay until 70 on an unpaid basis.

 

All that experience gone to waste, all that ability lost.

 

I watched a TV programme - New Tricks - and as light hearted as it was, it could so easily work.

As it is my old department have now brought in agency staff (fully qualified solicitors) to provide the backbone of what we all did - we would do it for nothing! The other department has been bringing in Chartered Accountants on secondment from private practice, instead of retaining the redundant and pensioned staff on nil income.

 

God knows how much this is costing - in those two departments alone, based on the numbers that have gone the fees that the government are now paying must be in the 10's of millions every month!

[bedofweeds]

Brilliant, well done Ian Duncan Smith and your Tory cronies. I attended a course on 'Employment Skills' with my WP provider which collapsed after two weeks due to constant sniping at the Tutor (A serving police officer), and this was with someone who was qualified to deliver such sessions! This was a class of only eight people for six hours a week - I can confidently predict the chaos that will result with untrained and unqualified staff. I might go for this option myself - should be much more fun than sweeping the streets for free.

 

I was actually offered a job with a WP as a tutor up in Essex. The fees that were being paid amounted to £300 a day, 5 days a week!!!

 

I never took up the option as I no longer have the need to be told what to and when and how in exchange for money.

Besides which I didn't fancy the idea of 'training' people who really didn't want to be trained!

[RebeccaPidgeon]

I was actually offered a job with a WP as a tutor up in Essex. The fees that were being paid amounted to £300 a day, 5 days a week!!!

 

I never took up the option as I no longer have the need to be told what to and when and how in exchange for money.

Besides which I didn't fancy the idea of 'training' people who really didn't want to be trained!

Although the Welfare To Work Sector would employ a fully fledged Consultant at £300 per day, this rate would not apply for any mere Welfare To Work Clerk, who had a responsibility for delivering any Training Course. Besides which, if any Welfare To Work Clerk were a Qualified Teacher, they would secure employment within the FE Sector, and not within the sub-prime Welfare To Work Sector.

 

.... but, please, continue your story.....

[osdset]

It seems even 'consultants' aren't worth much in the WP sector http://indusdelta.co.uk/job/employment_consultant/131224_0

[Emma078]

On the 26th I made a comment on here about being ill and having a appointment before the 14 days sick note was up and If I should go or take the full 14 days I'm allowed

 

My appointment was for today and I was going to attend as I'm due to sign on tomorrow anyway so I thought what ever they say today would just get said tomorrow anyway, but on Sunday I noticed my bathroom ceiling was leaking (a lot), so first thing Monday I ring the council to report this. I did think they'd come out that day as it must be dangerous. They arranged to come today first thing, so i ring the job centre to tell them I can't come in and my advisor tells me this is unacceptable and my money will be stopped because I've missed two appointments now

 

I'm due to sign on tomorrow and she said there is no times available just to come in and wait until I can be seen. Never heard that one before

 

The council came and said the leak is coming through from the flat upstairs and went to see if they were in, they wasn't and he's left a card. He said if he doesn't get hold of them they will force entry.

Can I really be sanctioned for this? It was the first time I'd been ill in 3 years and I can't help a leak. The council may have to come to mine again to do repairs if this gets any worse

[Mr.P]

Can I really be sanctioned for this? It was the first time I'd been ill in 3 years and I can't help a leak. The council may have to come to mine again to do repairs if this gets any worse

 

The most likely scenario is the DWP close your claim down, in which case you'd lose a couple of weeks worth of JSA. If they went this route, you would then have to submit a rapid reclaim and argue the case for it to be back dated to the point where your claim was closed down.

 

If the DWP went for a sanction, you would have grounds for extenuating reasons although the DWP may argue that you should have arranged the council visit around your signing on appointment.

 

In both cases, You claim for HB/CT would also be terminated automatically, so you would need to call or visit your council office to get the payments reinstated - A pain in the backside, but if it is handled promptly, the HB/CT benefits should continue without a break.