Return of the Workhouse. It's now Official

Loughton_Monkey

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11704765


Long-term jobless 'could face compulsory manual labour'

Iain Duncan Smith is targeting long-term benefit claimants

Long-term benefit claimants could be forced to do compulsory manual labour under proposals being put forward by the government, it has emerged.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith is set to outline plans for four-week placements doing jobs like gardening and litter clearing.

"The message will go across - play ball or it is going to be difficult," said Mr Duncan Smith.

The only fault I can find is an obvious mis-print, no doubt caused by the journalists' strike. It says "four-week". Surely he means 52 week? It would make sense then.

lilac_lady

Hardly the workhouse. Work = pay. What's wrong with that?

Shakethedisease

Work = National Minimum Wage ? What's wrong with that ?

dopester

The article doesn't mention anything like the minimum wage.

A week or so ago, they were talking of making prisoners work, and I think, paying them NMW.

Crazy. What about the people who anti-graffiti clean-ups, public roads hedge-trimming, maintain the parks ect - or other professional services they want the JSA-ers to be forced to do. Won't their market-wage rates come under threat? Otherwise if no NMW... won't it lead to slave-labour claims (rather than that's the market... don't like it.. then get better qualified or enterprising).

Oh... 4 week placements.. I see.

Loughton_Monkey

Nothing wrong with it (except make it 52 weeks). Bring it on!

Am opening the book on how long it will take the public service workers to strike over this one. "Taking our jobs....", "Will not have as good skills as us...."

olly300

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

The only fault I can find is an obvious mis-print, no doubt caused by the journalists' strike. It says "four-week". Surely he means 52 week? It would make sense then.

Four weeks is enough to cause disruption to people's lives.

Don't forget that single mothers with kids over 5 and formely disabled claimants will be included in this group.

lilac_lady

olly300 wrote: »

Four weeks is enough to cause disruption to people's lives.

Don't forget that single mothers with kids over 5 and formely disabled claimants will be included in this group.

If someone's FORMERLY disabled, they could do it.

If children are over 5 years old and at school the parent could do it in school hours.

Shakethedisease

Am opening the book on how long it will take the public service workers to strike over this one. "Taking our jobs....", "Will not have as good skills as us...."

Well I'll be opening a corresponding book on how long it takes the private sector to 'suddenly' discover lots of 'voluntary' posts... 10,000's of them in fact.

Generali

Let's face it, the litter and grafitti in large parts of the UK are terrible. It seems to me this solves 2 problems.

Shakethedisease

Yet, not the general lack of available jobs one ? Nor what the cuts mean regarding unemployment very shortly ?

Honestly Generali.. you think this will solve anything ? So quick to feel superior and curl your lip about this.

But never something you'd want to do yourself of course and certainly something you'd NEVER want to have to put on your CV. Like Ian Duncan Smith/Osbourne and Cameron.. You're simply out of touch with the real world. Too safe, distanced and too used to being secure to have any meaningful real idea.. nor insight (beyond verbal forum 'sparring') as to what this REALLY means.. Sorry.

Sibley

Four weeks is enough to cause disruption to people's lives.

Don't forget that single mothers with kids over 5 and formely disabled claimants will be included in this group.

Single mothers are the main ones I'd like to see disrupted. Why should they keep knocking out kids on tax payers money?

I'm really happy IDS is going forward with this. Decent bloke.