JSA and Temp Agency Work

mycro

I have a question about claiming JSA and temporary agency work. None of the JS+ staff were able to answer my query, so I hope someone will help me here.

I have been registered with my agency for over 6 months. The work is on and off. They call me when they need me for odd shifts, which are often 2+ hours away from where I live. I am exhausted and fed up, there is no job security and I am treated like a disposable asset.

Lately, they have not been supplying enough work, 1-2 days a week, which rendered me unable to pay my rent, and I am now in massive debt, living off my nearly maxed-out overdraft.

So I went to JC+ to ask for support. I am now signing on for JSA, although I have not received any money yet (they are still processing my application).

I am looking for a permanent, reliable job – no more agencies, but since I did not “quit” the agency (I am still registered with them), they keep calling me and asking to do odd shifts here and there.

My question is: should I refuse the one-offs that they are offering and concentrate on my job search? Or is it better to do the odd shifts as long as it’s less then 16 hours a week? If JC+ finds out that I am declining the temp jobs offered by the agency, what will happen? Can I say that I don’t want to accept their jobs because they are one offs and I want a permanent position?

Is it a good enough reason for JC+ to decline so-called job offers because they are not guaranteed employment? Can I say that I don’t want to take agency work because they are not permanent and only looking to cover someone else’s shifts with my help?

Thank you in advance, I hope someone will be able to answer this.

oldmotherreilly

The Jobcentre can only refer your claim to a Decision Maker if they are the ones putting you forward for the job, so you would have no problem with turning down agency work that you have been offered directly by the agency. If you were to choose to do the work, you would have to declare it if it is for less than the 16 hours but it would depend on which benefit you receive as to how your wages would affect the benefit.

daveleak

oldmotherreilly wrote: »

The Jobcentre can only refer your claim to a Decision Maker if they are the ones putting you forward for the job, so you would have no problem with turning down agency work that you have been offered directly by the agency. If you were to choose to do the work, you would have to declare it if it is for less than the 16 hours but it would depend on which benefit you receive as to how your wages would affect the benefit.

Im having a simular problem, im working for an agency and i took the job off my own back, not from the JC after 10 months on JSA.

Im not enjoying the work and theyve lined up my replacement as I am a stop gap whilst CRBS go in.

If i quit there and make a claim for JSA, would i get it even if I left the work and would i need to explain very clearly that i didnt accept agency work through the JC, but off my own back?