The Work Programme New Thread

donnajunkie

dontone wrote: »

I've told them......3 times. I've had to get a sick note today from the Doc's, will be sending it tomorrow. I've turned up to the WP doped up to the eyeballs on painkillers, in agony, and it's just like banging your head against the wall. Even when I applied for ESA, and was told no heavy lifting, rest, etc the advisor knew all that and then told me there was a warehouse job waiting for me
they don't listen. Waste of time.

i would continue to remind them anyway when they try to get you to do something unsuitable. you then need to decide whether to make a complaint or just humour them, apply for the jobs and then explain the issue to the employer. always apply for jobs they tell you to apply for whatever course of action you choose to take because not applying could result in them refering you for a sanction. they are idiots they say things like we dont want to sanction people. they then will sanction someone for a rule break only they know about.

looby75

donnajunkie wrote: »

i would continue to remind them anyway when they try to get you to do something unsuitable. you then need to decide whether to make a complaint or just humour them, apply for the jobs and then explain the issue to the employer. always apply for jobs they tell you to apply for whatever course of action you choose to take because not applying could result in them refering you for a sanction. they are idiots they say things like we dont want to sanction people. they then will sanction someone for a rule break only they know about.

I was told yesterday that the one thing they CAN NOT do when you are claiming ESA is make you apply for jobs, so they wouldn't be able to refer Dontone for a sanction (or if they did it would fail)

donnajunkie

looby75 wrote: »

I was told yesterday that the one thing they CAN NOT do when you are claiming ESA is make you apply for jobs, so they wouldn't be able to refer Dontone for a sanction (or if they did it would fail)

it may not stop them trying. so to avoid all the stress and hassle it may well be easier to just apply.

dontone

looby75 wrote: »

I was told yesterday that the one thing they CAN NOT do when you are claiming ESA is make you apply for jobs, so they wouldn't be able to refer Dontone for a sanction (or if they did it would fail)

That's true. I got told that, because they were getting a bit arsey, and I said that threatening me while I was ill was against the rules and very naughty. My sarky tone didn't go down too well either. I guess that's what being in pain does to ya :rotfl:
The best thing that has happened to me so far, is the "health coach" (and I use that term loosely) telling me over the phone that the best thing for me to do was to see my doctor, and take painkillers.
Talk about stating the obvious!! Doctor Teeth from the Muppets could have told me that. TBH he's probably more qualified than a lot of the muppets we are having to see :rotfl:

Midnighter

donnajunkie wrote: »

there are 2 providers here one in the town i live in and one in a neighbouring town. regardless of which town you live in which provider you get sent to is decided randomly. as a result there are people making more costly and longer journeys than they should need to.

Yes, I encountered that problem. We have, or rather had, two providers supposedly with offices within walking distance. Only the one I was assigned didn't, meaning I had to travel to their offices in the nearest city until they got round to opening locally. It only took them a year! Only problem now is that they've decide to reduce the number of advisors in the local office from two to one and didn't bother to tell the advisor that was staying that her workload was doubling. She was pretty frazzled when the other advisor's clients turned up for a job search session that he hadn't bothered to log in the diary.

donnajunkie

Midnighter wrote: »

Yes, I encountered that problem. We have, or rather had, two providers supposedly with offices within walking distance. Only the one I was assigned didn't, meaning I had to travel to their offices in the nearest city until they got round to opening locally. It only took them a year! Only problem now is that they've decide to reduce the number of advisors in the local office from two to one and didn't bother to tell the advisor that was staying that her workload was doubling. She was pretty frazzled when the other advisor's clients turned up for a job search session that he hadn't bothered to log in the diary.

look on the brightside. the more clients the adviser has the less time they have to hassle you.

GMbabies

Does anyone stop to think about the true facts of the cost involved rather than just accepting what the mainstream media portrays about the 'ever so effective workfare program'?

Get your calculator out and see absurdity of the scheme. It's nothing about cutting the costs, instead it's all about giving easy profits to private sector/companies that has ties with those that are in power. So don't sing and praise about it!

The workfare scheme costs tax payers five times the amount it should cost in benefits and this money is being siphoned out to the private sector through firms like A4E.

[Scenario]
- A jobseeker is referred to A4E and is sent to a well-known supermarket to work for 8 weeks.

- If the jobseeker is paid minimum wage, it would have been approximately £1900

- The JSA claimant gets his/her benefit of £568 during those 8 weeks.

- BUT A4E receives £2000 for the placement with the supermarket (tax payers money)

- The supermarket profits from free labour, A4E gets £2000 and the benefit claimant gets the same £568. In another words, The only people to benefit from the scam are the supermarkets (free labour), A4E they get £2000 tax payers money. The benefit claimant gets nothing for 8 weeks of work and the tax payer is billed for £2568 instead of the £568 the benefit for the 8 weeks should have been.

AP007

Workfare and work programme are not the same thing

Richie-from-the-Boro

AP007 wrote: »

Workfare and work programme are not the same thing

If the end product of a successful 'placement' is being forced into unpaid work, or have a benefit sanction imposed for refusal how are they different ?

AP007

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

If the end product of a successful 'placement' is being forced into unpaid work, or have a benefit sanction imposed for refusal how are they different ?

I have been on the WP since Aug 2011 and never been sent to work or a placement so I have no idea you tell me?