General Chat

I do sympathise with your hunt for work and it must be disheartening when arriving for an interview to find you are up against so many. I realize that there are genuine claimants who are not scroungers but think that jobseekers could be enabled better.

they need to make cuts to the top of the boards not the lower end mangement in government departments earn far to much

and MPs should be put up in B&Bs
not have second homes at London prices
and no meal allowances at fancy restaurants

and let them use the tube like everybody else no flash cars at our exspense

and the NHS theres far to many white collar workers on fancy wages

ie eight office staff to every doctor

and as for immigration

give them nothing except a flight home
we just can afford anymore people living off our country
giving nothing back
lets follow the Aussies lead
if they cant prove they can support themselves
deport them

delete

I will also add that almost every job I've applied for, I've been up against at least 80 going for the same job...

It's all very well thinking that the unemployed are being too choosy, that is simply not the case.

I don't have the answers but find this more acceptable than making cuts in education, health, pensions.

I would also charge for failed GP appointments.

What cuts would others make?

Who would be responsible for liable ins if work was undertaken by an experienced volunteer for people under their care??one would have to be paid which can have a premium of 0000's,that wouldnt work at all...as it would be paid from public taxes....
the worker would need a contract,also what would volunteers teach them that cant be taught in college?.....good in theory but dont work in practice,,,

the only people at this time who do work without loss of benifits is done throught the probation service who undertake community hours issued by the courts.

there is a system inplace for single parents if you work min 16hours a week then childcare costs can be met if attending a nursery.

The whole point is that as it stands, I have been declared fit to find work, ie sign on to Jobseekers....Whether they have got it wrong or not is actually irrelevent in this scenario... the rules are in place, the criteria has been set already - revised by the outgoing Govt and so ruling out a lot more people who are genuinely sick... did you realise that someone with cancer is not classed as a special case? That the long term effects of cancer tratment are still not recognised as sickness or disability or a syndrome? Including the neuropathy and unbelievable bouts of total and utter fatigue that can and do come out of the blue. I know the signs, and so make sure I am not driving/operating machinery when I am most at risk. Unless someone has been declared terminally ill, with 6 months or less to live... then slightly different rules apply.

Woe betide them if they live a couple of weeks past 6 months, though! It is only very recently that people with FM have had their illness recognised, and there are an awful lot of people out there who are struggling with MS but because their *episodes* can come and go.... then they are not classed as consistently disabled.

My Haemotologist was not even contacted to find out what effect the treatment has had on my mobility/quality of life/life expectancy... but the rheumotologist I was sent to, to RULE out RA was consulted.... it doesn't make sense. The doctor who conducted my medical didn't even know what my illness was, and has consistently spelt it incorrectly in the report... not the American way which is fine, but totally incorrectly. She is a qualified doctor!

So, in an ideal world, the consultant would have the final say... but that doesn't happen.

And as it stands, I am supposed to be in a fit state to start working with NO restrictions on the type of work I can do.

I am not a malingerer, I am not workshy, and never have been. But under the criteria in place today, as we speak, then I am supposed to go out to work.. to find a job.

So.... what laws would people bring in to ensure that people like me aren't made to go and resurface roads. Tell me, please, what crime have I committed to be sentenced to Community service?

Bring on the Chain Gang.

Stray is spot on... if there is work out there for people on benefits to be FORCED to do, then there is work out there, full stop.... then those people should not be paid *benefits* by the Government... they should be paid the going rate for the job, at the very least minimum wage, pension etc etc.....

Yes, Slavery springs to my mind, too. My son would happily labour, dig up/mend roads whatever... but the jobs are just not there! He has tried, is still trying.

Well Tooty Fruity, as someone who was made redundant just over a year ago, do you really think that those sort of cuts would have helped me find a job sooner?

I'm not saying there should be no conditions to claiming jobseekers allowance, but do you know that if you do voluntary work, you can have your JSA stopped, because it renders you unavailable for jobseeking. So that idea's out of the window.

When you've been unemployed for a year, you are referred to the government's Flexible New Deal scheme. This didn't work when it was run by the jobcentre, but now it is run by private companies. Within those you HAVE to attend a certain amount of hours per week, up to 30 hours. You do get your transport paid for, and while there you have to attend various workshops, which will aid, and remotivate you on your search for a job. Your CV will be re-written, you will be shown which of your skills are transferable, enabling you to widen the search, encouraged to write speculative letters or make speculative phone calls, interview skills, even filling out application forms. You can be referred to some courses to gain qualifications or new skills if needed, and there is a minimum of 3 hours per week spent in the computer rooms on jobsearch. The FND will also do 'better off calculations' to see if you are able to take a part time job instead of full time, and many people don't realise they actually would be better off than on the dole.

People who are jobless don't need to be punished further, it's bad enough as it is being without work, applying for the obligatory three jobs per week minimum without a single note of reply, usually having about 30 to 50 applications waiting for some acknowledgement, which never comes, and coming up against choosy employees because they have the pick of the market.

I agree when unemployment is at a more realistic level, during the good times, then those long term unemployed perhaps need a little more of a helping hand in motivating them to get back to work. But if you had ever, ever spent any time unemployed you would already know how demoralising it is to be searching for work in this current climate. I currently have 47 applications out there, not one has given me a reply, not even a bog-standard letter saying I've been unsuccessful. It really is a case of apply and forget it.

The only way you are going to reduce the JSA bill, is to create jobs for the people claiming it, and give them a chance. The longer it goes on the harder it gets, not just because you are demoralised, but because employers (who really need to spend some time on the dole themselves) view long periods out of work in the negative.

Before we even think of cuts in this country we need to stop every last penny of overseas aid. Why are we giving millions of pounds to the likes of India and China?
Then we need to realise we have no use for billions of pounds of American nuclear weapons.
Then we need to get the hell out of Bush and Blairs wars in Iraq and Afganistan which we have not the slightest hope in hell of ever "winning" but which have cost us so dear in money and precious lives.
Then total and complete independence for England from the rest of the so-called "united kingdom" which has rarely been more dis-united but which costs English tax payers millions of pounds in subsidies to Scotland, Wales and Ulster. Even Lord Barnet says his formula is unfit for purpose and leaves England hugely disadvantaged.
Now, shall we talk about tax rises for the likes of Levy and the other tory rich who are about to give us proles such a kicking?
And maybe there is some way we can claim compensation from the brainless idiots that really thought that incompetent Scottish idiot would make a good chancellor.

The fact that you have to work for benefit would in itself encourage people to find work. My son's friend claimed that there was no work around. What he meant was that there was no job he wanted to do.

To me it is not acceptable to pay out money without it being earned. This does not encourage anyone to get back to work. This is giving something for nothing. It may not be much better than slavery but nobody should expect a handout. Instead of giving money maybe food, clothes etc vouchers should be issued. If the unemployed want luxuries they shouldbe worked for.

"Rose you ask who would supervise the unskilled workers. The experienced volunteers who do sterling work for nothing."

Oh I see that makes sense...... so you have an experienced volunteer who could supervise each individual as they did gardening or decorating for example ? having first checked both of them out on the CRB of course. Are we recruiting these volunteers from the retired sector? or are these other unemployed people who happen to be 'skilled' unemployed "volunteers"?

The state pension for a single person is £97.65
- pretty paltry you have to agree.

Jobseekers Allowance for a single person is:
£50.95 16 - 24
£64.30 25 or over

Rent and council tax is paid, but out of that you have to find the money for bills and food. If you are then expected to 'work' to earn your benefit, you'd have to take money for clothing and bus fares out of that, too.
As it stands, if you earn more than £5 a WEEK, benefit is stopped, copious forms have to be filled in and you're back to waiting for the process to 'kick in' - which can take weeks.
In times past, if you got work for a week, you declared it and kept most of the money you earned and went straight back on the dole..
The current system really doesn't encourage people to go for short term jobs, where they may have the opportunity of staying on/getting proper employment with the firm.

Stray has an excellent point.

Making people work full-time for benefits rate is actually about the same as slavery.

Do they get all the benefits usually associated with a job? Pension plans, vacation time and pay? Do they pay in to whatever government benefits schemes apply to employees?

Not to mention the issues raised about supervision, skills and the safety of the public and individuals the work is being done for ... and who is liable if something goes horribly wrong when a benefits-paid worker is supervised by a volunteer ... and what non-profit organization is going to want to take any of that on ...

Rose you ask who would supervise the unskilled workers. The experienced volunteers who do sterling work for nothing.

I know of an incident in the local benefits office where a self employed joiner had gone to the office as he had fallen on hard times with £1.50 in his pocket. He never even approached the desk because in front of him in the queue was a young man demanding an emergency payment when his phone rang which he answered and was heard saying to the caller that he would meet him in the pub in 15 mins he was just getting his beer money. The self employed man walked out disgusted. The one getting his beer money should not be able to claim.

well in that case raise the benefits to minimum wage, and emply them properly!

People are employed as roadbuilder etc... But the roads are in a sorry state.

I don't have a problem with someone who has been made redundant from a job they love doing a different job whilst trying to find another position. I have worked three part time jobs in the past to make ends meet, two of which I hated but it just spared me on until my current job came along.

Childcare is an issue but would be happier paying for childcare than long term unemployed who have no intention of getting back to work.

It is not working for nothing it is earning the jobseekers allowance.

Daff dont start me on the DWP

I have a friend who's been unemployed for over a year.
He's 58, a carpenter and has never been unemployed before.
He's a very skilled carpenter, with over 38 years experience but....
He gained his experience 'on the job' - didn't attend 'carpentary lessons' and get a certificate stating that he can mend a table.
Nowadays, unless you have a 'certificate' you, apparently, know nothing!!!

Is he a 'scrounger'?

He was speaking to a young lad in the centre. This lad had gone on one of the courses offered by the Job Centre. The course was in 2 parts. Jobcentre paid for the first part - unemployed lad was meant to pay for the second - though where he was meant to get £500 from was a mystery!
So from this example, it seems like there are hundreds of half trained unemployed people out there, unable to finish training!

The other 'problem' my friend has, is that he doesn't own a computer - wouldn't even know how to turn one on - but all the Jobcentre say is 'look on the computer' - what are the Jobcentres paid to do?

I know some cant work through health etc. and yes there are kids to look after. It's the ones who wont move their ass's and try for a job.Or they are too fussy. Thats why we have so many people from abroad working, because they arent scared of hard work.

My Oh lost his job about 30yr ago. He was lucky and was out of work for three weeks. If it had gone on any longer he was prepared to do anything that came up.,even though he had spent years training for his job.
We still had a house to pay for and kids to feed.

Daff obviously the DWP have got it wrong in your case and I expect many more. To my mind your consultant should be the one to say whether or not you are fit for work.

My friend a classroom assistant has breast cancer. She completed treatment in February and is now making plans to return to work in September. She acknowledges she cannot do everything she could before without getting extremely tired but feels she wants to try, part time initially to see how she goes. I admire her for this. Obviously every case is different and not everyone will be in the same position as my friend.

I am not advocating the sick are forced into work but those on jobseekers allowance who are able to work but not necessarily wanting to work.