im so angry

dithedancer

This is a rant. I started a thread last week asking if my boyfriend could claim travel expenses. well he couldn't because it was too late to apply and he was offered a job in Kent, we are from Yorkshire, a long way away. he spent all his money and borrowed quite a bit from me to travel down there and to get him through till payday. He arrived in Kent and was told he had to go back home because they had set on too many men and so there was no vacancies. what is he supposed to do now. He turned down 2 other jobs for this one. He cannot get JSA only ESA and will have to use my money to get back home. This smacks of riding rough over the unemployed.

jobbingmusician

Was his job offer in writing? Suggest the CAB might be able to help, if so......

dithedancer

No it was all done over the phone, he was gong to sign the contract when he got there. He's gutted.

GothicStirling

Why can't he claim JSA? Is it to do with your income? If not, surely you can't be penalised for an employers decision?

dithedancer

because he had been on jsa for more than 28 week.

wombles_forever

How can he be claiming ESA if he is well enough to work. AFAIK he would normally not receive any help like this as being on ESA means that he is too sick to work. Is he receiving fit notes from his doctor? If he is fit enough to work he should not be claiming ESA.

I take it that his contributions based JSA has run out and as he has a partner is not entitled to income based JSA.

AFAIK any help with travel to interviews has to be fully documented and travel arranged with the JCP well before the actual day as sometimes they will issue a travel pass instead of money in these circumstances.

Oldernotwiser

If he's capable of working, he doesn't have the option of claiming ESA.

Googlewhacker

Ultimately there is very little I think you can do about it because there is little protection against being dismissed within 12 months so not even starting would come under this.

If you have reciepts etc I would maybe send a letter asking for reimbursement of the costs involved to get to the place that could have been avoided if the company had informed him earlier that the job was now not available.

wombles_forever

Googlewhacker wrote: »

If you have reciepts etc I would maybe send a letter asking for reimbursement of the costs involved to get to the place that could have been avoided if the company had informed him earlier that the job was now not available.

I don't think that would work in this case as AFAIK the official Travel to Interview fund was scrapped in April and any payments made now are more tightly controlled and harder to get as they come under the general discretionary payments budget.

tsimehC

^ Even the Travel to Interview Scheme (TIS) was tightly controlled and usually the process would've had to been started before the jobseeker went to the interview. Is the discretionary payment budget, the same one as the ADF?

Googlewhacker

I was on about sending a letter to the company that 'offered' the job......slim chance but for the price of a stamp you never know.