daily signing at jobcentre

stampede

melysion wrote: »

We get paid for going to work, a real wage that we enjoy a certain quality of life with. A wage thats hugely greater than £71 a week for the most part.

JSA is NOT a wage. Its a payment that people have contributed to and therefore have a certain right to claim if they find the need to while looking for a new job.

Thats why we all pay NI.

Most people long term unemployed have paid into the system for years (in some cases decades) before finding themselves out of work. They have a certain right to take out what they put in. And long term unemployment can be due to a variety of factors and not due to laziness in any shape or form.

Would you like to live on £71 a week? No? Me neither. You dont think the long term unemployed have a unpleasant enough existence as it is, being cr*ped on regularly by the government and the job centre, with no money to do anything beyond eat and travel to the job centre, feeling rubbish about themselves, considering themselves useless, no self esteem, depression etc without us so called haloed "tax payers" rubbishing them too. Braying about "social justice" and "making them work" for a insanely small amount of money. Making their lives even more uncomfortable will achieve nothing - unless punishing them is the objective of course. They are no more likely to get work. It wont suddenly push them into finding employment. Theres little out there to bully them into. Not that many need the bullying - most WANT TO WORK.

Its rubbsh, Its all about kicking people when they are down.

And remember - NOONE is immune to losing their job and becoming long term unemployed though no choice of their own. Just ask the huge number of over 50s who have been unemployed since being made redundant 5 or so years ago after working (and paying into the system) for 30 years or more. I think these people have contributed enough dont you, to feel entitled to claim their money when their lives have turned to sh*t.

Great post Melysion, I lost my job a 6 years ago, found applying for JSA degrading, but due to me being in a dyeing trade, had no choice. They didn't offer any retraining, & after the 6 months JSA contribution based finished & I had to go on income based, I found I was not entitled to anything as my wife was receiving just over £100 a week maternity allowance. As I received £0, I thought, what's the point spending money every week travelling to the Jobcentre. Therefore I just went self employed & paid self employed NI contributions, which were less than the costs of travelling to the jobcentre.

My wife ended up redundant a couple of years later after our second child, & although she was on maternity leave as such, the Jobcentre staff treated her like she was the lowest of the low.
She had never been out of work before but as far as they were concerned, they managed to break her down into tears, when she is normally a strong person.

JSA is supposed to be there to support people, yet it seems that all it's really there to do is torture you when you are already suffering.

Personally, I'd probably never bother applying for JSA again as it's just not worth the hassle for a few quid a week.

mattcanary

bll78 wrote: »

I'm sorry but I just don't get it my brother who has no qualifications, a spotted work history (through time out travelling among other things including prison) walks in and out of jobs in a matter of days. If he can find work, stacking shelves, working in factories, warehouses etc.. why can't others who are HEALTHY in 3 years (bolded so people don't incorrectly think I'm getting at those that are ill) . Yes it may not be your dream job, it may not get you where you want to be but earn the money and use it to study in your own time like I did.[/QUOTE






Perhaps the fact that he was in prison for a time nad the fact he finds it easy to find new work are in some way linked:
ie: maybe he is dishonest and finds it relatively easy to lie in job applications and job interviews

SeduLOUs

reason2 wrote: »

so after years of working, you beleive your not entitled to any benefit for the short term.. you should be forced to do something to earn it.. even though paying thousands in tax should be sufficent?

I believe wholeheartedly you should have to 'do' something to earn it. When I got made redundant I didn't claim jobseekers because of the stigma associated with it. Had I actually had to 'do' something to get it I may have felt more entitled.

However, just turning up isn't enough. Yes, it serves as a sort of punishment, and will encourage some to actually find a job because trekking to the jobcentre is such a chore everyday.

But I also fully appreciate that this is a damn waste of time for people who are 'genuinely' trying to get back to work. By genuine, I mean people who treat looking for a job AS a job, and spend 8 hours a day 5 days a week job searching, NOT someone who one click applies to 3-5 inappropriate jobs per week.

It doesn't matter how much tax you've paid. The tax you pay is to fund the state It itsn't an insurance policy in case you feel like having a few months off.

dandelionclock30

Like it or lump it,the state has to support people who are unemployed. What people do not seem to understand is that it they could end up being in this position themselves and secondly even if there was no unemployment then they would still be paying the same amount of tax.

Caroline_a

Maybe if JobCentres were set up more as the old JobClubs, so that people who were unemployed could attend, say 10.00 - 16.00 then this might be a better option. Attendance could be monitored as could levels of job applications. You would probably need more than one per town, just on the numbers of people who would attend, but it might be a more positive way of treating unemployed people, rather than just 'come in, sign, get wittered at, go away'.

With phones, computers, tea & coffee making facilities plus ongoing support, hopefully people would react more favourably and be able to make relevant and productive job applications.

viscachaz

I was told by my advisor they're not there to help you find a job, they're there to make sure you're doing your best to look for one yourself..

Never seen anyone so indifferent and uncaring when I found myself one (with no help whatsoever from them!).. he was more interested in whether I was continuing looking until it started, and if telling me if I didn't, I could be sanctioned.. I duly signed off there and then! He literally couldn't have cared less..

donnajunkie

custardy wrote: »

Please provide a quote DJ.
You are laughing yet have failed for years to provide for yourself through employment.
I have had solid employment in that time.

ok, lets get this straight you are now denying that you agreed with sensible advice etc who said people should spend all their time jobseeking and that any reduction harms their chances? you are disagreeing with them and agreeing with me?
having had solid employment doesnt make you special or superior to anyone.

donnajunkie

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

When I said social justice I meant justice for those that go to work and pay the taxes to support the long term unemployed. You know, those folk that get up at stupid o'clock to drag themselves to a job that they hate...those guys.

they do not benefit from people sitting in a room writing their name. how is that justice? they gain nothing from such activity. people who claim dont owe them anything anyway. its the law that says people get help, many of which have paid taxes and ni. if you dont like people being helped as a result of what the decision makers decide then your grievance is with them. so seek justice from them. not that they owe you any either because a decision to help the poorest is a good thing. it maybe you one day.

donnajunkie

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

The people that are daily signers have been unemployed for three years, that is not a short stint. But you are right, I think I am right in saying that most people do sign off after being on JSA for a short period and that is fine, after all that is what it is there for. We are doing no one any favours by making them welfare dependent and hopefully this new policy will help bring about a change in attitudes towards JSA

you are again implying that people have done something wrong as if they are like a criminal. you deny thats what you mean but what you write tells us otherwise.

donnajunkie

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

Where is the punishment in making go somewhere everyday to undertake a task...you know just like working people do. Daily signing will help as it will help those doing it (and remember they have not worked for three years) to get back into a pattern of having a task with a purpose. We cannot pay people to just sit at home.

working people get a wage and rights and usually theres a point to the tasks they perform.
you are right that traveling to an office to write your name is no great hardship. however its a punishment because its a waste of time and no-one likes to have their time wasted. it also takes them away from jobseeking and it costs the taxpayer money to make it happen. so its nothing but a total waste in every way.