Work Programme Sanctions

john539

starkidsara wrote: »

Hi, I'm currently on the Work Programme. I received a phone call from them today saying I'd missed an appointment with them yesterday and that the Job Centre have been informed and I will be sanctioned for 4 weeks for missing my appointment. However, I had no knowledge of this appointment. They didn't contact me by phone advising me of my appointment, they apparently sent a letter to my home which I never received. I have never missed an appointment with them and I normally get my new appointment when I attend but the last time I went I was told by my advisor that he was leaving his job and I would be allocated a new advisor who would call me to arrange an appointment.

Has anyone else had this problem and been sanctioned? I can't afford to lose 4 weeks money because of a mail error. The woman I spoke to was rude and blatantly told me "its not my problem" when I explained I hadn't gotten any letter about an appointment.

They may not have sent letter, mistakes, cancellations are common.
Advisors change regularly.

You could be paying or blamed for mistakes & incompetence at the the office.

When they said you had missed appointment, you should challenge this strongly, with the advisor, the manager, "what is ##@@!! is going on".

Then you need to appeal any sanction doubt from Jobcentre, cataloging their failure & incompetence.

starkidsara

epitome wrote: »

I hope the woman you called -and are complaining about- was the work program provider, because they are the only ones who can change the decision at this stage. Phoning the JSA Benefit Centre will be a waste of time as they can't do anything to change the decision, only advise you that you can appeal.

Is the first sanction on JSA a 4 week sanction? or is this your second sanction? I only ask because on ESA the first sanction is 1 week, the 2nd is 2 weeks and the 3rd is 4 weeks I guess.


You can apply for JSA Hardship

The woman I spoke to was from the work programme provider. I explained the situation to her and she blatantly told me it was my fault I'd missed it, (even though I hadn't gotten any letter or other communication from them) and that she didn't care and it had already gone to the Job Centre for decision.

This is my first sanction, on JSA its apparently for 4 weeks now, which is ridiculous in my opinion, especially when you can be sanctioned for something like this. This is people's ability to pay their bills and eat that they are affecting and they don't care at all.

starkidsara

john539 wrote: »

They may not have sent letter, mistakes, cancellations are common.
Advisors change regularly.

You could be paying or blamed for mistakes & incompetence at the the office.

When they said you had missed appointment, you should challenge this strongly, with the advisor, the manager, "what is ##@@!! is going on".

Then you need to appeal any sanction doubt from Jobcentre, cataloging their failure & incompetence.

I shall be fighting it tooth and nail. I still haven't gotten any letter from them even though she told me it had been sent on the 10th of September by first class post. Thats been 3 weeks since it was apparently sent. If it was sent at all. Either they didn't bother posting a letter and are using missed appointments to sanction people (which I heard they had targets for) or it was lost in the post. Either way I had no idea of any appointment.

ArtoDeeto

As long as you didn't sign for the letter I wouldn't get too worried.

john539

starkidsara wrote: »

The woman I spoke to was from the work programme provider. I explained the situation to her and she blatantly told me it was my fault I'd missed it, (even though I hadn't gotten any letter or other communication from them) and that she didn't care and it had already gone to the Job Centre for decision.

This is my first sanction, on JSA its apparently for 4 weeks now, which is ridiculous in my opinion, especially when you can be sanctioned for something like this. This is people's ability to pay their bills and eat that they are affecting and they don't care at all.

You haven't been sanctioned yet, only Jobcentre/DWP do that.

The WP Provider raise a doubt which you can challenge.

rogerblack

ArtoDeeto wrote: »

As long as you didn't sign for the letter I wouldn't get too worried.

This is in general flat wrong.
For benefits purposes, unless you can show that there have been specific difficulties with post, you are assumed to have received the letter 'in the normal course of post'.

That is - if it's posted to your address, then for legal purposes, you have been notified.

You can of course argue that you diddn't receive the letter, and this may be a valid appeal.
But the presumption is that it arrived - not having to sign for it means essentially nothing.

williemcf

I would contact your MP if i was you.

M.Johnson_2

All the sanctions are to try and get people off JSA they want the unemployment numbers down

Paul38

I have just been given a sanction for missing an appointment with my JobCentre advisor.

I have been given hardship payments but still want to fight the sanction. I had a couple of sanctions at the beginning of the year from those lovely people at the Work Programme. They work on a "If we like you, we will never dob you into the Job Centre for missing appointments" I was one of those people they disliked so was never going to be in that bracket.

I put in the request for a reconsideration on both occasions but to no avail. I actually got the decisions changed by calling the DMA and giving them a clearer insight to how they do things at the Work Programme. The only problem I have now is that I don't have the contact number to try the same tack with my current sanction.

Don't suppose anyone on here has it? :rotfl:

BurnleyBob

I'm intrigued, what type of people do they like? Those who turn up and perform card tricks or sing a selection of songs from popular stage musicals? I'm assuming it's those who are meek and never question the wisdom of anything they suggest.