Benefit sanctions on families

kafkathecat

Probably a silly question OP but is there a union that you could talk to?
I wish people would wake up to what is happening here. There are not enough jobs to go around so we hound the unemployed on the one hand whilst making everyone in work take on more work instead of employing the unemployed and tell them they should think themselves lucky.
I hope you work something out OP it sounds like a nightmare situation.

suzieuncool

Thanks for all the replies

To answer the last few replies:

1) If you are talking about the state of the countries finances, if I quit and go on JSA, someone who is now on JSA will get my vacated job so the benefits bill will neither rise or fall in my personal case.
2) I wish I could get my holidays. My immediate boss who works with me is always playing on an ailment and getting sick lines. she is now trying to get off permenantly with it so she can get out of there. Then ill be on my own until they replace her so even more work.
3) There is no union.

FBaby

Why is your way of handling your situation at work to walk out and expect tax payers to support your family fully? What you are facing is no different to what thousand if not millions of staff experience. You are lucky that you are only working 25 hours AND have a partner who can look after your child and do chores at home. That's luxury for many people.

If things are getting difficult at work, what you should be doing is going through the grievance process. If they are not treating you as they should, they challenge them. Do look for another job during that time.

If you are talking about the state of the countries finances, if I quit and go on JSA, someone who is now on JSA will get my vacated job so the benefits bill will neither rise or fall in my personal case.

Oh, so that job is too much for you, but it's good enough for someone else.... how does this work?

Horseunderwater

suzieuncool wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies

To answer the last few replies:

1) If you are talking about the state of the countries finances, if I quit and go on JSA, someone who is now on JSA will get my vacated job so the benefits bill will neither rise or fall in my personal case.
2) I wish I could get my holidays. My immediate boss who works with me is always playing on an ailment and getting sick lines. she is now trying to get off permenantly with it so she can get out of there. Then ill be on my own until they replace her so even more work.
3) There is no union.

Firstly you need to get real here. You are entitled to take your holidays - everyone gets 20 days per year with an additional 8 bank holidays on top. If they fail to let you take them then they are breaking the law.
Whatever else you do - do not walk out, no matter how hard you find working there. The outcome financially will not be easy at all. I know as I have been there as has my OH and you just have to tough it out until you find another job. If the boss wants you to do the work of all the people who have left recently then insist on at least 30 hours work a week out of them. You would then get extra working tax credits just for that. And from that extra put it aside and then if you do decide you really cannot cope and do walk out, you will have a little put aside to help you cope financially. When this happened to us, JSA was there both times, but we had not walked out, just lost our jobs. However at that time Jobs were not too hard to find. And I know they are now in any area of the UK. Is your job a manual physical one or a clerical office based one? You did not say. If physical then I can understand why you find it hard to do. I had to re train as I could not get an office job and I became a bus driver, which I still do today, although I am off sick at present due to illness complications. And that is a very demanding job both physically and mentally and there is no other job that is like it.

suzieuncool

Horseunderwater wrote: »

Firstly you need to get real here. You are entitled to take your holidays - everyone gets 20 days per year with an additional 8 bank holidays on top. If they fail to let you take them then they are breaking the law.
Whatever else you do - do not walk out, no matter how hard you find working there. The outcome financially will not be easy at all. I know as I have been there as has my OH and you just have to tough it out until you find another job. If the boss wants you to do the work of all the people who have left recently then insist on at least 30 hours work a week out of them. You would then get extra working tax credits just for that. And from that extra put it aside and then if you do decide you really cannot cope and do walk out, you will have a little put aside to help you cope financially. When this happened to us, JSA was there both times, but we had not walked out, just lost our jobs. However at that time Jobs were not too hard to find. And I know they are now in any area of the UK. Is your job a manual physical one or a clerical office based one? You did not say. If physical then I can understand why you find it hard to do. I had to re train as I could not get an office job and I became a bus driver, which I still do today, although I am off sick at present due to illness complications. And that is a very demanding job both physically and mentally and there is no other job that is like it.

First off I have to work bank holidays, new year and Christmas day. secondly the more hours you and your partner work the less tax credits and housing benefit you get so you are working longer for nothing. if me and my partner both had full time jobs we would get no housing benefit or tax credits (and then would have to pay child care for my latch key kid) so this rubbish the tories and media spout about the more you work the better off you are is all lies for people on minimum wage.

Dunroamin

suzieuncool wrote: »

First off I have to work bank holidays, new year and Christmas day. secondly the more hours you and your partner work the less tax credits and housing benefit you get so you are working longer for nothing. if me and my partner both had full time jobs we would get no housing benefit or tax credits (and then would have to pay child care for my latch key kid) so this rubbish the tories and media spout about the more you work the better off you are is all lies for people on minimum wage.

You aren't working for nothing - you're working to support yourselves and the children you've chosen to have. You're also more likely to progress in your career and earn more than minimum wage.

p00hsticks

suzieuncool wrote: »

First off I have to work bank holidays, new year and Christmas day.

So you'll have eight extra days holiday to take instead (assuming your hours are spread over five days). You may not get bank holidays off, but that doesn't alter the fact that legally you are entitled to 28 days holiday a year.

suzieuncool wrote: »

Secondly the more hours you and your partner work the less tax credits and housing benefit you get so you are working longer for nothing.

I'm not an expert but I think you should look into what Horseunderwater is saying and do the maths - they're not talking about you and your partner working all the hours god sends, but just you trying to increase your hours to 30 to possibly make you eligible to claim some additional working tax credit.

To be honest, I appreciate that you are stressed and I have sympathy, but people are coming up with some good suggestions here and you just seem to be dismissing them all out of hand.

I think before quitting your job you should consider the following;
a) go to see your doctor and see if he will sign you off sick for a few days, as you are obviously close to breaking point
b) take a day or two holiday - they can't stop you taking it forever.
c) Talk to your boss and say that due to the additonal workload you are taking on, you want to increase your hours to 30 - that way at least you will be getting paid for some of the additional work, and may get WTC on top.
d) Simply don't work quite as hard /renegotiate what you are expected to do in your 25 hours to make sure you have a manageable workload (unless I've missed it, I don't think you've said exactly what it is you do ?)

suzieuncool

tomtom256 wrote: »

your not the only person who has more work to do for the same pay and within the same hours.

In this day and age any job has got to better then no job. If everyone quit cause they didn't like their job the country would be in a worse state.

As for your partner and daughter suffering, that would be on you, but if you want to quit, quit. However if your hoping to get a job soon, why not just stick it out?

The way things are looking to me are this:

My work mate who does the job with me is going to leave either on the sick or go on her husbands pension very soon so ill be stuck on my own for ages and my work will double (and it has already doubled in the past few months). People are leaving my work place in droves for a reason, some to other jobs and others onto ESA/JSA, to get away.

I have been looking for a new job for a while as has my husband and there are NO jobs for him or me. How long should my health and family life suffer because things at work are very unlikely to get better and getting a new job at this time is not looking likely either.

Angelicdevil

suzieuncool wrote: »

The way things are looking to me are this:

My work mate who does the job with me is going to leave either on the sick or go on her husbands pension very soon so ill be stuck on my own for ages and my work will double (and it has already doubled in the past few months). People are leaving my work place in droves for a reason, some to other jobs and others onto ESA/JSA, to get away.

I have been looking for a new job for a while as has my husband and there are NO jobs for him or me. How long should my health and family life suffer because things at work are very unlikely to get better and getting a new job at this time is not looking likely either.

Can your husband not apply for a job at your current workplace, if so many people have left/are leaving?

Dunroamin

suzieuncool wrote: »

I have been looking for a new job for a while as has my husband and there are NO jobs for him or me. How long should my health and family life suffer because things at work are very unlikely to get better and getting a new job at this time is not looking likely either.

If there generally are no jobs then you face sentencing your family to a long time of existing on benefits, just to make your life easier.

I do appreciate that jobs can be stressful but you're only working 2/3 of full time hours and you have a partner at home to do all the childcare and domestic side of things so you have things much easier than many people who are juggling full time work and full time family responsibilities.