Universal Credit AET January 2023

KCJA1989

huckster said:

@KCJA1989

The way the current Government looks at this may be that people should behave as if the benefit system did not exist. What would you do, if there was no Universal Credit payment each month ?  Presumably, you would keep talking to your current employers about a change to your contract or you may be forced to look for more work elsewhere.  And due to declining financial circumstances, if the employer was not able to offer more paid hours, you would start a second job or start a full time job elsewhere.

If you are earning below a threshold amount, you will start to be booked in for regular job centre appointments and yes if you failed to attend these without good reason, you could end up with the standard allowance being sanctioned.

I can see there being more pressure applied to ween people off benefits, as the Government try to reduce expenditure on a system that is supporting people not working the hours that they might be able to do each week.  

@huckster

When I started this position many years ago, I worked a second job around my hours. Unfortunately, like many positions these days, I have to be fully flexible over all hours in order to work 20 contracted hours. I don't agree with that, but that's where I am. 

I can well foresee a situation where I am working in the morning, have a job centre appointment at 1, am asked to stay extra at work due to shortage - and then what? I can't stay to work extra hours because I need go go to have an appointment about getting extra hours. Irony doesn't begin to describe it.

I get it. I completely understand where you're coming from, why it gets people's backs up, how the system it broken. There are many people who don't want to work, have a degree of self entitlement, don't want to contribute and end up better off than hard working people. All I want to do is work and provide, I work as many hours as I am afforded, never turn down work. I would imagine the idea is to get away from the "I will only work this many hours and not a minute over or I lose out" brigade, again, completely understand that. 

In an ideal world, every job is full time and this doesn't happen. They aren't. Many, many jobs are part time, and, like mine, require a lot to full flexibility. I find that, as and when thresholds increase, more and more people will struggle and it is unrealistic to expect all of these claimants to be working full time hours (for arguments sake) when there are not always full time positions.

At the end of the day, if our Universal Credit was removed tomorrow, I would have to leave my job and try to get one elsewhere. It would just be a shame to have to leave a place of work that has become like a second home and my colleagues like family, but, that's just how to goes.

born_again

atlantis187 said:

sorry i couldnt find the other thread

If you click on your profile picture & then discussion's it will bring up the thread you have started 👍

tomtom256

Don't forget the government have increased the number of people that have to be seen by the Jobcentre, but haven't increased the staff levels and are currently downsizing the civil service, after shoddy pay rises.
In reality you will probably only get about 10 minutes with a work coach every fortnight, who won't care if you are looking for more work or not, but is just ticking boxes for the government paymasters.

atlantis187

When they sanction you do, they only sanction the personal entitlement or the whole claim including child elements?

calcotti

atlantis187 said:

When they sanction you do, they only sanction the personal entitlement or the whole claim including child elements?

The amount of sanction is a percentage of the standard allowance which is taken from whatever your amount payable would otherwise be.

atlantis187

How do they work out what percentage to cut?

MovingForwards

atlantis187 said:

How do they work out what percentage to cut?

Here's some info:
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Universal-Credit-Sanctions/How-much-will-a-Universal-Credit-sanction-be

KCJA1989

Spoke with my manager regarding these issues. As I said, there will be a few of us staff members in this boat, assuming all goes through. The maximum contracts on offer for the position is 20 hours.

So, what happens with these work coach meetings, assuming the AET isn't being met? Presumably I'd be asked to ask my employer for more hours (which I do)? Would I be pushed into leaving my job for another with more guarenteed hours? Is this negotiable or enforced? Would I have an option for which jobs to apply for? 

NedS

KCJA1989 said:

Spoke with my manager regarding these issues. As I said, there will be a few of us staff members in this boat, assuming all goes through. The maximum contracts on offer for the position is 20 hours.

So, what happens with these work coach meetings, assuming the AET isn't being met? Presumably I'd be asked to ask my employer for more hours (which I do)? Would I be pushed into leaving my job for another with more guarenteed hours? Is this negotiable or enforced? Would I have an option for which jobs to apply for? 

In reality, I doubt very little.

Imagine you are a work coach working for DWP. You see a full range of customers from those who are largely unemployable through to those who are working and earning just under the AET threshold. Most work coaches will focus their limited attention on those doing nothing who they consider capable of doing far more. Those like yourself who are already working are likely not a high priority and the work coach is more likely glad you are already working. I suspect the Government view it more that there are likely to be easy wins, where eventually people like yourself will get fed up having to visit the jobcentre every week and hopefully secure yourself a few more hours to get yourself back over the AET so they leave you alone again.

I would expect to have a chat about asking your employer for more hours, which of course you will be keen to obtain because you know the more you work the more well off you will be under the UC system

KCJA1989

NedS said:

KCJA1989 said:

Spoke with my manager regarding these issues. As I said, there will be a few of us staff members in this boat, assuming all goes through. The maximum contracts on offer for the position is 20 hours.

So, what happens with these work coach meetings, assuming the AET isn't being met? Presumably I'd be asked to ask my employer for more hours (which I do)? Would I be pushed into leaving my job for another with more guarenteed hours? Is this negotiable or enforced? Would I have an option for which jobs to apply for? 

In reality, I doubt very little.

Imagine you are a work coach working for DWP. You see a full range of customers from those who are largely unemployable through to those who are working and earning just under the AET threshold. Most work coaches will focus their limited attention on those doing nothing who they consider capable of doing far more. Those like yourself who are already working are likely not a high priority and the work coach is more likely glad you are already working. I suspect the Government view it more that there are likely to be easy wins, where eventually people like yourself will get fed up having to visit the jobcentre every week and hopefully secure yourself a few more hours to get yourself back over the AET so they leave you alone again.

I would expect to have a chat about asking your employer for more hours, which of course you will be keen to obtain because you know the more you work the more well off you will be under the UC system

Thanks @NedS, you've also been a huge help over the years.

Depending on our situation next year (kids will all be in some form of education, wife could be working) there is a good chance I will have to leave my job for another to coincide with the family anyway. My fear is that I would be forced into leaving my job due to the contracted hours, and, if so, would I be told which jobs I must apply for?

Last couple of weeks haven't been as bad, been working more or less full time again (always take any hours I can get), just aren't guaranteed.