UK Wants Unemployed Youth to Do Unpaid Work for the State. State Sponsored Slavery or.....?

Ok, I have to admit that I'm torn on this one.

www.activistpost.com...
www.bbc.com...
David Cameron: "From day one young people must play their part and make an effort." Young people out of work, education or training for six months will have to do unpaid community work to get benefits if the Conservatives win the election.

David Cameron said about 50,000 18 to 21-year-olds would be required to do daily work experience from day one of their claim, alongside job searching.

The welfare shake-up would make sure young people "don't get sucked into a life on welfare", he said in a speech.

I have to approach both sides to be fair.

1. FORCING people to work for the state is state slavery. Period. If you are behind bars we can see a difference of course as it can be seen as a debt to society. Let's not bring in the corporate owned prison-for-profit issue because that's another thread entirely.

But...

2. If you are accepting money from the state because you either can't or won't find work, is it right? I think there are points to be made that if the citizens pay taxes that go into your pocket then you working to benefit said citizens is not all that crazy of an idea. Or am I missing something here? In essence you can be seen as employees of the citizens paying taxes to pay you.

Now to my main problem with it all...

The tone of the article is "STATE SPONSORED SLAVERY" and I do see the underlying issue but if there is a line drawn as to monies taken and labor served as equal, is that slavery?

So I can see what he's talking about but then he shows his true colors by using certain words that lead me to believe all is not what it seems. The term ORDER & DISCIPLINE doesn't sit right with me at all. This sounds like the NWO rearing its ugly head.

'Order and discipline'

[ex[Those aged between 18 and 21 who have not been in employment, education or training, known as "Neets", for six months would no longer receive jobseeker's allowance (JSA). Instead, they would be paid the youth allowance, paid at the same rate as JSA - £57.35 a week. However, to receive it they would be required to carry out 30 hours a week of mandatory community work from the first day of claiming benefits.

This could involve making meals for older people or working for local charities, alongside 10 hours of job hunting.

Preparing meals for the elderly, clearing sidewalks of snow, trash pick up or working for a charity seems like a fair trade but the wording of it all has me in my ATS mode. And that is...Don't Trust. Of course Cameron's name on it should suffice as enough of a warning.

So, some great work could be accomplished if a program such as this were implemented but because of the source and ominous undertones with the wording I have to find myself saying don't support it because it's a Pandora's box. I see it as a sad reflection on where we are that even a good idea by elected officials must be met with scrutiny and most of all suspicion because very rarely is a decision going to benefit us not in the high seat.

IMO

Peace





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a reply to: jude11

In a country with a supposed minimum wage this is simply illegal.

They should be getting £5.13 or £6.50 per hour depending on there age and even then its quite frankly nowhere near enough to live.

The plan seems to be: If you want housing benefits from the government you need to work or do community service.

I see no problem with that and it does not sound like slavery or compelled at all. Sounds more like a voluntary contract.

I'm probably going to come off as strange, especially as an American, but I actually think this is a good idea. The only caveat is that the work time must not come before availability for interviewing and anything else involved in finding a suitable job.

a reply to: nullafides

Indentured servitude is not a good idea and this is exactly what these people are proposing.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: jude11

In a country with a supposed minimum wage this is simply illegal.

They should be getting £5.13 or £6.50 per hour depending on there age and even then its quite frankly no where near enough to live.

Yup, I get that.

But what if they are simply not willing to look for that work but line up for their benefits checks? Is there a way to have them work for that at least?

As I mentioned, I'm torn.

The rates don't change so it's slave labor but money for nothing if you are able to work is stealing from the people.

Peace

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: nullafides

Indentured servitude is not a good idea and this is exactly what these people are proposing.

And that's my other side to it. I agree.

It could be a great program if it was drawn up to benefit the people and not the Govt.

Peace

originally posted by: nullafides
I'm probably going to come off as strange, especially as an American, but I actually think this is a good idea. The only caveat is that the work time must not come before availability for interviewing and anything else involved in finding a suitable job.

Good start to making a working plan to benefit all.

The other is fair and equal pay for fair and equal labor.

Peace

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: jude11

In a country with a supposed minimum wage this is simply illegal.

They should be getting £5.13 or £6.50 per hour depending on there age and even then its quite frankly nowhere near enough to live.

You've got a very good point there! Someone should be fairly compensated for their work....

This has already been in place for a few years now, it's called the Mandatory Work Programme im 30 and 6 months after my work place closed down I was working 9 to 5, 5 days a week for 3 months in charity shops for £72.30 a week or my money would be stopped. from 1 month upto 3 years.

It's total B.S. in my opinion, there where others with me on the program doing community service for petty crimes, they only had to work 3 hours a day 2 days a week, and 1 guy who just came out of prison on the programme also working 3 hours a day 2 days a week, then theres me, never commited a crime in my life doing 9 to 5 every day.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: nullafides

Indentured servitude is not a good idea and this is exactly what these people are proposing.

Indentured servitude is bad.

Working for your benefits in the form of public service, good.

And I do agree with you that someone should be paid a fair compensation.

I don't see this as slavery if they are receiving consideration for the work. You could decline the state aid and not be forced to do anything or you are being given the opportunity to work for your stipend. Sounds right to me.

a reply to: jude11

Most people who choose not to work suffer from mental health problems or other associated social disorders. A very small percentage of long term unemployed choose to subside on the pittance provided by our government.

originally posted by: NeoSpace
This has already been in place for a few years now, it's called the Mandatory Work Programme im 30 and 6 months after my work place closed down I was working 9 to 5, 5 days a week for 3 months in charity shops for £72.30 a week or my money would be stopped. from 1 month upto 3 years.

The overtly negative thing I see here, is that if you were working a full 40 hour week, how in the world were you supposed to be applying for and interviewing for other more appropriate work....

This is what I see as a problem.

a reply to: nullafides

Working for less than the minimum wage is never good and quite possably illegal, government sponsored or otherwise im afraid.

Pay the poor souls a fair days pay for a fair days work! Stands to reason if you ask me.

Anything else and they are essentially peeing in there pockets and telling them its raining.

This was already trieda few years back and ended uo heavly abused by corperations.


I remember a story of some grad student with a good degree stacking shelves cause the unpaid work she wanted to do with the company she wanted to work for was not on the approved list at the job centre. Needless to say the approved list were a collection of corps wanting unskilled labour.


So whats changed?


If the youth can choose were to do the unpaid work so as to fit into there future work I see no issue.
I did a unpaid internship back in 2008 and it acted asa good springboard for my career.
But that was with a relevent company.

a reply to: crazyewok

Was it not Pound Land they sent that poor soul to work in for a pittance.

www.theguardian.com...

originally posted by: nullafides

originally posted by: NeoSpace
This has already been in place for a few years now, it's called the Mandatory Work Programme im 30 and 6 months after my work place closed down I was working 9 to 5, 5 days a week for 3 months in charity shops for £72.30 a week or my money would be stopped. from 1 month upto 3 years.

The overtly negative thing I see here, is that if you were working a full 40 hour week, how in the world were you supposed to be applying for and interviewing for other more appropriate work....

This is what I see as a problem.

The job centre has an online job portal, with job listings and your C.V. is on there, everyone is given a quota for jobs to apply for each week and your advisor can monitor your application activity, if you don't meet the quota your money is stopped, that means applying for jobs you are not quallified for just to make the quota if there are not enough jobs in your field that week.
Had to do this every evening for 1 hours or 2 when I got home.

a reply to: jude11

Slavery is working forced against only enough money to pay rent and eat.

It depends on how much money you earn if it`s fair or not.

With automation more and more jobs disappear, and the rest can be filled in with slavery is the ultimate wet dream of our masters.

It`s simply a trick to work around "not paying enough" by letting the slaves work a few hours less a week...it`s something which waits us all in the future.

a reply to: jude11

Ah, conscripted labor, a long cherished component of socialism. Just wait till the social justice warriors start opening up state run brothels and your daughter is up for community service.