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Important Changes to Jobseekers Allowance Sanctions

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  • csmw
    csmw Posts: 579
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    red_devil wrote: »
    can someone please comment on the human rights issue of this.How can you stop peoples jobseekers allowance.This is money for food etc? You sign on because your unemployed and you need money to live?

    Even prisoners have human rights.

    Also what is all this calling on shops and ringing shops on spec?How many companies out there and all they all going to be bombarded by letters and callers etc? They are going to get fed up?

    There are no human rights issues the sanctions are part of the law!
  • red_devil
    red_devil Posts: 10,793 Forumite
    OK, comment ahead, beware.


    Jobseeker's Allowance is a two way contract. The government, via their agencies, will provide an amount of money as welfare in return for a level of activity around returning to work. It is not a free handout. There are expectations from both sides, including that benefit will be paid regularly and at the right amount, support will be given where there are clear skills gaps and where possible. The flipside is that certain tasks must be done and therefore evidenced such as attendance at signing, job applications etc and that where support is offered it is engaged with and every effort made to improve the skills shortages.


    That is my comment, not that of any of the agencies or organisations I work with, as requested.

    Thanks but it still dosent address the thing about is it against human rights to withdraw the money. what do you live on and what if you had to resort to stealing to eat because you didnt have any money sorry i dont get it?

    Even prisoners are fed and watered?

    Jsa is also a newish thing its was always known as unemployment benefit you need money to live on its the law isnt it?
    :footie:
  • red_devil
    red_devil Posts: 10,793 Forumite
    csmw wrote: »
    There are no human rights issues the sanctions are part of the law!

    but people have to have enough money to live on by law too dont they?
    :footie:
  • red_devil wrote: »
    but people have to have enough money to live on by law too dont they?


    But given that the country is skint, there have to be conditions attached. There is not an unlimited pot of money to pay for everyone out of work to receive money regardless of their own efforts to return (or start) to work. Whilst no-one wants to return the days of zero welfare and people starving as a norm, we have to surely address the situation that allows someone to be better off on benefits than in work?
  • Morlock
    Morlock Posts: 3,265 Forumite
    csmw wrote: »
    ...does this not tell you that your not suited to that type of work...
    csmw wrote: »
    At the end of the day the fact of the matter is your a grown adult and need to take responsibility for yourself!!
    csmw wrote: »
    I think someone ^^^^^ needs to go back to college and get a basic english qualification...

    Ahem...pot...kettle...black.
  • imatt
    imatt Posts: 356
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    But given that the country is skint, there have to be conditions attached. There is not an unlimited pot of money to pay for everyone out of work to receive money regardless of their own efforts to return (or start) to work. Whilst no-one wants to return the days of zero welfare and people starving as a norm, we have to surely address the situation that allows someone to be better off on benefits than in work?


    The country skint YET we have a govt prepered to carry on misspending £5Bn over the lifetime of this parliament on a Work Program that is clearly not fit for purpose! Run by a motley mixture of companies under investigation for fraud and incapable of meeting even low govt targets! Makes perfect sense, what?
  • Having read through this thread I am very wary about commenting but here goes....

    The new sanctions regime is actually fairer than the old one in many ways. If you leave your job voluntarily without just cause or get dismissed for misconduct the sanction will be up to 13 weeks....it's currently 26 weeks. If you refuse employment without good reason the first sanction is again, 13 weeks rather than the existing 26 weeks. The sanctions only get tougher if you repeatedly fail to meet conditions. IMO JCP appears to be doing all it can to make the conditions clear.


    It may not be perfect but at least the new legislation appears to be directed at the right people ie; the ones that repeatedly shirk their responsibilities rather than those who genuinely make a one off mistake.


    It's worth noting that Jobseekers Allowance is a benefit paid in return for someone doing everything they can to look for work, not a benefit paid for being unemployed. That was Unemployment Benefit and is long gone.
    This ain't no technological breakdown..
    Oh no, this is the road to hell.:(
  • red_devil
    red_devil Posts: 10,793 Forumite
    I still think they are making too many rules and if people are left with no money for 13 weeks they could starve to death. You should have a basic human right to have money for food and warmth.

    you can go and commit a crime and be treated better.

    What is all this must travel 90 mins each way to work how do you afford the fares if you are on minimum wage?
    :footie:
  • red_devil wrote: »
    What is all this must travel 90 mins each way to work how do you afford the fares if you are on minimum wage?

    I often wonder about this 90 mins rule myself, With any job I would factor in the travel cost, As you can travel a fair distance in that time.
    ie Peterborough-London (54 mins) is £50.50 per day FCC only or any TOC £99.
    Yet the useless fool behind desk will demand that you have to apply as it pays the minimal wage, Travel cost are not taken in to account only the travel time.
  • Mara69
    Mara69 Posts: 1,409 Forumite
    andy2004 wrote: »
    All i can say is, when these new sanctions come into force, people who are sanctioned will pay back the person who sanctioned them.
    You see the advisers at the jobcentre THINK they are untouchable. the jobseeker can not do anything to them, and technically they are right, they can not do anything LEGAL to them, but then if you are sanctioned for 3years like the new system allows for, I can see jobseekers crossing the line, I can already see the headlines now, in local papers all across the UK, jobcentre staff member attacked and beaten, reason, turns out the attacker had their benefits stopped for 3years by that member of staff or one of their colleagues.
    Now to spend 5 years in prison depending of course what happens at a cost of £10,000 per week to taxpayer, for what would have been £142 a fortnight.

    If you, and people of your ilk, think that this is a justifiable course of action then you seriously need your bumps felt. The job centre staff have a job to do. Whatever your own personal thoughts about the sanctions, whether they are fair or not - whether THEY think they are fair or not, they are simply doing their job. Earning a crust and paying taxes in order to help provide an income for those that do not work. For those people to then beat the poor staff that are doing their job is utterly reprehensible and I would hope that they would be severely punished though the courts.
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