Potential JSA sanction situation. Advice appreciated.

digital_sneeze

So I'm with (or was with) the awful Avanta (now People Plus) who on Thursday afternoon phoned me up to say they had work for me and asked me to come in to discuss it. I went it and they said they 16 hours of work for me. The work was to commence on Saturday night at 12 midnight. This is as much as I knew about it at the time and perhaps foolishly agreed. They insisted that I phoned the job centre to sign off, which I did (because it was 16 hours worth of work or so they said). They said the following morning I was to proceed to the work office for my induction, which I did.

It was a security firm, who said I would be doing stewarding work for the Ride London bike event. I was immediately told that I would be not given 16 hours work, but only 9.5, and that there was no guarantee of more (so Avanta lied to me, or was grossly misinformed) so I should not have signed off JSA to begin with. I would be transported by coach at Saturday midnight, and the hours I would be paid for were from 2.30am through the Sunday midday.

Come Friday night I tried my hardest to stay awake as long as possible in order to facilitate such an unsocial shift, but largely failed, falling asleep at about 2am and waking up at 9am Saturday morning. I tried sleeping in the day and failed. Come the early evening I realised I was not going to be able to remain awake for such a shift, which would have involved a modicum of public safety in all likelihood, so I decided to phone human resources and inform them that I wouldn't be going as I would have had to stay awake for 27 hours; the potentially risky working hours being the final 4 or so.

So there's my worry. Am I going to be sanctioned for not attending this one-off shift at extremely unsocial hours, bearing in mind I had only one night to adjust to it? (I couldn't have a late night Thursday night as my induction was the following morning.) And do I have a hope in hell of appealing if I do get sanctioned?

Thanks

pmlindyloo

The first thing you need to do is a rapid reclaim for JSA.

To avoid being sanctioned you will have to show 'good reason.'

The decision maker's guide is here

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/446106/dmgch34.pdf 34370 on wards

Looking through it, your 'best' argument seems to be that you were offered a job for less than 24 hrs (34370)

and you were given incorrect details of the employment (34412)

You need to write or speak to an advisor and explain exactly what happened.

If this was a one off assignment then I cannot understand why they would want you to sign off from JSA.

Was there any paperwork given to you/contract?

Good luck!

digital_sneeze

I signed a general contract of employment, though it makes no mention of hours I would be working, much of it doesn't really seem to apply to steward work however. I was told they go on the basis of whether or not they actually have work available, and stated that I'm under no obligation to accept it. The person doing the induction was also surprised I was signed off as the company usually advises job JSA claimants not to. The other 3 people sent from Avanta / People Plus were also told spurious information like I was.

And yes, I did a rapid reclaim Saturday along with an explanation of why I wanted my claim to begin on the day I was signed off (along with the hours I said I'd be working but ended up not doing so).

Thanks