Help needed! made redundant (though not officially)

zagubov · 26 August 2018 at 9:44PM

I'm horrified by this thread.

Let's just all stop quibbling about whether it's actual "slavery". The OP's friend is a person needing help.

This kind of power imbalance is the reason why unions were invented.

sangie595 · 26 August 2018 at 10:55PM

zagubov wrote: »

I'm horrified by this thread.

Let's just all stop quibbling about whether it's actual "slavery". The OP's friend is a person needing help.

This kind of power imbalance is the reason why unions were invented.

I don't think that comparing choices someone made to slavery is quibbling. And the OPs friend has had as much help as it's possible to give. They have no employment rights. Nothing to do with slavery and everything to do with the government.

Modern slavery is a very serious issue, and it is offensive and insulting to compare a bad employer / ex boyfriend to slavery. Human trafficking, sexual violence and abuse, unlawful imprisonment / kidnapping of young and vulnerable people for degrading exploitation - it really doesn't compare much, does it?

And yes, you are quite right, there is a power imbalance, and there are unions. But (a) a union can't change the law and (b) they don't appear too be in one, which is also a choice.

If you think that there is some missing advice, why don't you give it?

zagubov · 26 August 2018 at 11:33PM

sangie595 wrote: »

If you think that there is some missing advice, why don't you give it?

I very much doubt I can give better advice than you've already given. This is a hideous situation and I'm saying don't get distracted by where this fits in with wider problems.

sangie595 · 27 August 2018 at 11:37AM

zagubov wrote: »

I very much doubt I can give better advice than you've already given. This is a hideous situation and I'm saying don't get distracted by where this fits in with wider problems.

Please don't lecture me. I happen to consider that when someone compares a freely chosen, if poorly chosen, situation with something abhorrent to any decent human being, then that needs correcting. People need to understand what is happening in the world around them, and clearly not everyone does. It isn't a distraction - in fact, if those links get read and help even one person to spot a potential trafficked victim of slavery, then it wouldn't be a distraction at all, would it? After all, does nobody ever wonder about those nail bars that they frequent? Or the five women in that house across the street they hardly ever see?

badmemory · 1 September 2018 at 5:35PM

Well the ex employers know they have done something wrong or they wouldn't be telling her to say she has been a housewife. Possibly paying her using dummy invoices that they can reclaim the VAT on, they are obviously not above behaving less than honestly. She has also lost 2 yrs NI contributions to her state pension & may not be entitled to contribution based JSA because of their actions. These do not appear to be employment issues but fraud issues on their part.

They have defrauded her because she may have pay tax on her earnings as self employed although she believed she was employed. To pay someone by cheque & ask the person they have paid to say they were a housewife implies they have at least defrauded HMRC & possibly DWP too.

So does anyone have any advice to offer to avoid her being the only one that gets caught out in the **** from the DWP & HMRC?

ETA I suggest she does not give her ex employer her NI No

Help needed! made redundant (though not officially)

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