The joyful joys of Job Seekers allowance just got more joyful in the UK

I have been here for some time - I do not post a lot but I read ATS everyday and I have done so long before I was a member but your post just offended me.

Its a JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE - stop being pedantic who coming online and typing a well spoken and voiced argument and get a job! There may not be a lot out there but you clearly appear to enjoy just receiving your JSA and taking the opportunity to 'fob' off when you get a chance. At least that is how you present yourself.

This country is - in the best possible terms - in the #! People acting like you or in a similar manner to you do no help. I am 26 currently doing my second degree and paying for it all myself so I owe no government agencies any money. I worked 72 hours last week. If you want to claim the JSA then I believe you should be prepared to work or do what they ask you to do - your claiming money that others are paying for you.

I live in Newcastle. I lived in Sunderland for 6 years. The area was hit hard in the past. The area is suffering now as is most of the North of England, as is the whole country. There are numerous organisations in Newcastle and Sunderland who offer support to homeless people - you are obviously more fortunate than most that I have worked with because you were able to get online and make posts.

But because I also like to help people here are some options you might like to consider or contact for support:

england.shelter.org.uk...
www.crisis.org.uk...
www.homelessuk.org...

I do not know how you got to be homeless or in the situation you are in. I do hope it works out for you and you find a job and do not just collect your JSA. Complaining about governments and current sanctions has no effects or implications. We are all in this together, yes the rich stay rich but that is life. Deal with it. Move on and work hard.

ID just like to add.... cost of people on benefits = millions, cost of tax avoidence by the rich and corporate business.... = Billions you tell me where the problem is.

Originally posted by RogueHALLINAN
ID just like to add.... cost of people on benefits = millions, cost of tax avoidence by the rich and corporate business.... = Billions you tell me where the problem is.

Whilst you raise a good point about tax avoidance by the Rich, the way you did so was highly misleading.

Spending on Welfare, in the UK, during the financial year 12/13 is expected to total some £117 Billion.

Depending on the figures you wish to use (I've checked the Guardian, PCS Union, UK Uncut and HM Treasury), the combined total for legal tax avoidance and outright illegal evasion is anywhere between £50-£150 Billion a year.

Whilst sorting out tax avoidance/evasion would certainly help the budget problem, it would by no means cure it. Do not believe for one second that if those Corps or Rich folk got taxed more, they would hang around or employ more people. It is a fine balancing act between getting everyone to pay their share and not driving off the very people or companies that employ the rest of us.

I suppose from the Treasuries POV, they would rather Vodafone, for example, not get taxed a few billion and instead invest more money into the UK generating more indirect tax that way, through NI contributions, income tax, etc.

Had they paid their tax bill they allegedly avoided, they wouldn't have had the cash to buy my employer, which could have either ended up with us going under, cutting jobs to save money or worse, being taken over by TATA and all being slung out the door.

It's simple, really. If you are not willing to work, and not taking the vacancies they offer you, you might lose your right to get benefits.

Why would the community pay you benefits if you refuse to take on a job ?

I see nothing wrong with that.

reply to post by JeZeus


All I can say op is that the work programme is illegal and does nothing more than force labour, force people into illegal contracts and make a certian bunch of people richer, all with tax payers money I might add.

The kind of people who get on their high horse at people on JSA just don't understand how much money they waste on these programmes it's more than a years worth of JSA per person to go on these courses and they just don't work. Also with the work programme once your on for 2 years thats it your on till the contract has expired, I have a mate who's worked for 9 month now and still gets bother off them like constant phone calls and if he loses his job bam striaght back on.

I'm a mackem lad myself and know just how screwed is is round here op so to those calling you to just get a job I know how hard it is here, The bitch Thatcher screwed Sunderland hard she didn't even use lube lol we built ships and mined coal, 50 years ago you could walk out of school and have a job for life the next day as an apprentice on the yards.

Another thing us brits are blind to is when places recruit these days they are laying people off at the same time no new jobs are being created for instance Nissan Sunderland, What they are doing is ending people's contracts those who have worked full time for years and then they get say 2-5 people in as a replacement on part-time work, ingenius woohoo look at that we made so many jobs from one damn thats clever. This is happening everywhere and it's sick we need to stop it somehow.

reply to post by warwagon86


I am not homeless but I am on JSA and I wish it was that easy, These courses are a waste of tax payers money and do create a lot of forced labour and I don't agree with that.

at the moment I'm on a course but one of my own choice to better my employment but those government compulsery one's I'll avoid like the plague, Also I do work.... for free I volunteer alot of my time away at various companies that say they would pay me if they could but just can't in this climate. I still have no paying job, we are not all bums some do try

This countries mess is not the peoples mess, we just have to clean it up

Originally posted by lewman
reply to post by Mclaneinc

 

These jobless on brand new mobile phones etc.. are either not jobless but working without paying tax, selling drugs or still live with their parents. Believe me on between £60 -£70 a week, life is not full of luxery's and especially when you have to pay almost half of that on bills, I just dont see how anyone could live a life of luxery.

One thing I will say though is single mum's who are on benefits are massively over paid compared to a single man with them getting more for the child than the man gets for himself.

Infact a single woman without child is elligible for £500 a week housing benefit in London but a man of under 35 is only eligible for £80 per week. This is quite clearly sexist and I dont even think its legal but what can you do about it?

Oh don't worry these jobless around here on 3 phones etc are all dealers on the estate, between robbing people and dealing they earn a pretty penny.

As for the money you get, ha ha, I was so shocked I could not afford to buy some cheese for our daughter, simple ordinary cheese is so expensive when you are on benefits, every thing seems like a luxury.

And yes the single mums coin it in, the woman upstairs claims as a single mum with two kids, she also has one of the kids fathers (seems she gets around) also lives there from time to time. They have SKY, a 42" TV (plasma of course) and take cabs every where. Opposed to my wife and I and our 12yr old who have to scrape to pay for the gas etc.

In relation to the amount you can get of all benefits, I'm wondering what is going to happen to these families in the new houses here, most of the families are Somalians who have a minimum of 5 kids each, the worst being 10 kids. Now come April the Benefits agency are going to cap the maximum you can have including Housing Benefit & Council Tax to £500 a week, methinks these people get a shed load more than that at the moment, I wonder if special circumstances will be made for them or like us because of the high private rent will have to move.

Somehow I feel they will get a special dispensation while we have to try and find housing any way possible.

What annoys me is that many older people who have built up work experience over the years simply do not understand what it is like for young people entering the job market for the first time during times like these.
I too have done various voluntary work placements, applied for every job going, and I still can't get a job, and I have a degree.
Believe me it's ruthless out there.
It's so easy for people to say there's plenty of jobs but they fail to realise the shear volume of people applying for them.
I was on reed.co.uk the other day and whats good about this site is it shows you the amount of applicants for each job.
I saw a local vacancy for Clintons Cards Shop Assistant and it said there were over 1500 applicants and still going. This is for a job in a town, not a city.
How are young people with no experience supposed to compete with that?
Bare in mind that there only needs to be one person who has previous shop work experience to get the job over new workers.
Fine, call us scroungers, living off your backs, I don't care, because this WILL get much worse, and many more people will see the effects of this financial mess and eventually wake up to the extent of the situation.

I'm curious as to whether your able to see this from another point of view.

You say you were "forced" to do 1 month of free labour.
I'm assuming that during this month you still received your job seekers allowance?
So my question is, how is that labour then free?

Personally I've never come across any bank that are prepared to give me free money....or money for nothing. So my point of view is, why should the unemployed get money and not be expected to do something for it. Actually it is these types of policies that have made England the cesspit it now is.

The people who live opposite us are living in a row of houses owned by the council - everyone else where I live has a mortgage, just this row of 4 houses are council owned, so basically they are living there for free.

They are probably in their early 20's, he does some menial job, she doesn't work.

She's just told the wife yesterday she's pregnant - again. She had the last kid a few months ago, this one will be number 4.

I see them every day stood outside the house puffing away on cigarettes (don't know how they afford to smoke, I struggle to afford it).

Hardly any income, living in free housing, but can somehow support 4 kids? Well no, we'll be the ones supporting them of course, and now I'm certain the house won't be big enough so they'll be getting an upgrade.

They'll be living in a better house than the one I'm struggling to pay for with only 1 of them working while the other pops sprogs out like popping peas from a pod.

It's clear - don't work, you'll be better off and can spend all day doing whatever you like.

It makes me sick.

Originally posted by JeZeus

Hmm , so you would just waltz into a window cleaning job ? because its below you and they would think thier dreams have come true when they read your CV ? i think i know what kind of crowd i`m dealing with hear so i will politley ask you to refrain from posting your Ivory tower bull#.

That`s what JSA is for , that`s what it does , but a handfull of smack rats end up on the dole and the whole country starts treating neighbours friends and family members like scum , i`d actually be a lot happier without these people around..... you know the type , they think they are single handedly holding up the economy because they can afford the new gadgets, cars , houses and what not , its actually ignorant snobbery .
And i say ignorant because your type always seem to forget where you came from , who you grew up with .... your old friends might be out there eating out of bins and sleeping under bridges ..... but youve got an I pod , you`re the boss

Thank you.,

Hahaha!! Best.Reply.Ever.


In other news, the rich have got LOADS OF MONNEEEYYY!!






And my favourite:

reply to post by Power_Semi


It's not that easy unless you pop kids out like rabbits that will end soon too, for a lot of us it isn't easy 50-75 pound a week depending on age that is pennies to live on so chances are they are up to no good if they don't have a lot of kids.

reply to post by tigercat1971


I agree to a point but it's law in this country to have a benefit system to help those in need, So if someone says you must work this job to receive benefits that is plain simply forced labour, would you work 9-5 for 5 days a week doing the same amount of work a guy next to you is being payed for for a scrape of a living about 50-75 quid.

Originally posted by stumason

you sir, are the out of touch, over spoken, well to do morons that have ruined britain
your either naieve or a paid liar
tell me WHY we pay tax?

The EMA hasn't removed for everybody, it's actually given to those in genuine need of assistance, not middle class students who used it to buy beer at lunch.

thats how the brain works of the pompus morons who think they have the right to discuss of the young get help.
this is a comment made by someone who had free education...and given a grant to go to uni

Uni doesn't cost £9000 a year. Some do, not all.

they only lower the price if they dont fill the places
but you..... got a big grant to go didnt you

Even then, you don't pay a bean up front and only pay back once you earn over £21000 a year, at which point the repayments are £30 a month, which to be honest is quite affordable.

how cute you forgot about the relentless interest that piles up

There is a common theme about moaning they are making Uni for the rich only based on this erroneous misrepresentation. Anyone with the required qualifications can go to Uni and even at £9000 a year, is still among the best priced and best quality you'll find anywhere in the world.

hilarious
so young english students cant go to uni...but rich asians flying in can...
even at 9.000 a year its top quality????? is that how they did the math...you know "they"...they are like you...they got free education


the fact is...too many people are getting A`s in exams....now they need to generate a workforce...ie this BS

To finish, generally speaking, I find most people who are "out of work" and can't find another job tend to be so through their own volition. Not wanting certain jobs, refusing to move or commute etc etc..

tut tut
disgusting

what about those people made redundant?...when public sector has to cut back and sack civil servants

"there own volition"....who on earth wants to be poor???

look there is always a pool of unemployed....they are abusing them

In all honesty, I think if people were more flexible and took some responsibility themselves (none of this "Job Centre can't find me work" BS) we'd all be better off.

we`d be better off if we dont use public money for private companies
bailing out the banks and state sponsord wars
we`d be better off if thieves like you jump off a cliff....and take the pompuss with you....free up some jobs for these unemployed benefit loungers

to sum up..i pay tax for two reasons
hospitals...and benefits

where is our money going...??...and they will always find pompuss people like you to argue that point....face t your out of touch.....it would be good for you to be made redundant....then you will see the slave trade and change your tone

Oh yeah, to the guy with the Degree that posted earlier about not finding work, what is your Degree in? I might be able to help. My firm has a post-graduate scheme as well.

do you know how annoying you sound,,,,,youour like that lam kid at school who is the only one with a football...nice up there on your pedestal is it?

I might be missing a point here But forceing people to work for £6.20 a hour for 36-40 hours week when the uk goverment state's that the average house hold needs to be earning £36.000 a year to just reach "decent standard of living' makes no sence.

www.guardian.co.uk...

www.guardian.co.uk...

This would mean a family with 2 kids would both have to work 40 hours a week at £6.20 a hour , where is the time to be a parent or do we just let tv educate our kids ? let alone afford to put them in colledge to get a education to perhaps aid them geting a better job that pays more than £6.20.

The way it looks to me based on 4 generations of my family all working class .
Your born you go to school , you are let down by a failing education system escape with a few GSCE's or what ever there named at the time.
You flaunt with higher education like uni or colledge but the financial burden increases on your parents that are on low income force you into low paid employment.
While living at home you have little expenses and are now ripe for the banking market as you need a account in order to get paid, your now in undated with flashy credit cards and personal loans ect ect .... at somepoint for all diffrent reason you will most likely get one of these, now the banking system has you it could be a morgage or student loan what ever they have you.
As you struggle with repayments and the ever increaseing cost of living you struggle on relentlessly finding comfort in love with a partner this quite often leads to kids, you move out still in debt you get social housing and the whole prosses starts agian by the time your debt free your probly suffering with health issues if your lucky to not have none to begin with, your middle aged now better employment is a fading possibilty your highlight is a couple of holidays a year perhaps ... you retire with a next to nothing pension in your 60-70s put out to pasture on the scrap heap with you failing health you die.

its the conveyor belt of life for all us really no matter what class you are just the comfort is diffrent .

If you are able to work you should but forced to be a slave even if those conditions are better than other places in the world dont make it right, and who decides that people should be happy with £6.20 a hour 40 hours a week when 70% of that goes back in to the system , and who decided to not factor in other cost ie cost of time put in to that work away from family missing your child growing up and the cost to ones health.

Id work for 40 hours a week at £6.20 if only 50% was going back in to the system.

i think statisticly once we reach 70% of the average wage goes back into the system will we see alot more social unrest.... we not far from it.

When I became a member to ATS ( 6 - 7 years ago ), I had my own business and I have had 6 to 8 people employed full time.
Fast forward to today , I still own the company but no employees , just old me .
My eldest child is at her last year in Uni and my youngest one got a job with Debenhams just 2 weeks ago and my wife just got a job with M&S .
There are some jobs out there but by no means there are enough .
I remember the days that if you've had enough with your job , you could walk out the door and get a new job without too much of a hassle .
Last 30 years , by and large , I have always employed number of people but in the last 3 years I've employed no one .

reply to post by RogueHALLINAN


This would mean a family with 2 kids would both have to work 40 hours a week at £6.20 a hour , where is the time to be a parent or do we just let tv educate our kids ? let alone afford to put them in colledge to get a education to perhaps aid them geting a better job that pays more than £6.20.

6.20 punds is like what 12 bucs an hour?(it is pounds right?) the minimum wage here is 8/8.50 starting , and in some cases people with good degrees that wernt paid for by grants/government/scholarships are working those jobs as well, lol aka mc donalds, burger king, walmarts (largest retail in world doesnt even pay the people from the country it was founded in above min wage so SAD and some of the worst health care plans as well) so if 12 bucs an hour is the low end of the pay scale, i know where im going when i lose my job lol, no but really if thats suck pay, standard of living must be throught the freakin roof there? they dont care about standard of living in any country, just what kind of good guy/girl image they can promote for next elections.

reply to post by JeZeus


Dude been through the same BS as you.

I was out of work for about 4 months until tomorrow (when I start my new job thank god). The experience has left me bitter though...

I have been working 15 years, never been out of work, paid my taxes and the one time I go to make a claim I am treated like every other scrounger out there. It was a nightmare just trying to get the claim through, because I naively thought filling out the claim online (for JSA, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Relief should be enough), only the JSA went through okay.

What the UK does now is to award you something, then immediately start to deduct funds from that award until you are left with a measly amount (the excuse being they reviewed your case AFTER awarding you an initial amount of allowance).

So I received my JSA but then watched a £100 get taken off that...great.

The worst was yet to come...Went to the local council to check on the Housing Benefits claim, what a joke, what an absolutely joke.

After 3 visits they managed to some how lose my details from their computers and then asked me to fill in some papers (which I am assuming would be re-entered back into their crappy computer system) however they managed to lose the information again!

I am now going back to work but I have a backlog of rent to pay off and I will keep harassing them until I have been paid what I am owed...and that's the point, I am owed something because I have worked long and hard for it. It doesn't help that the local council is broken from the top down, poor management in place, incompetent and rude, abrasive staff.

David Cameron's sledgehammer approach might be a good idea initially but in the long run it will do more harm than good.

reply to post by JeZeus


So let me get this straight, you'd like money from the government, but would rather not comply with the rules to get that money?

You worked for an agency, but didn't like their rules so quit.

Sounds like you need to stop "hating and playing the system" and just accept that unfortunately if you want to be a member of society there are rules. If you do not want to be a member of society you can simply ignore the rules.

reply to post by old_god


I honestly feel your pain here, but put yourselves in the shoes of the staff dealing with these claims. Our country is full of people claiming things they shouldn't be and you cant have things both ways.

Would you rather have:

1) A system that anyone can easily exploit
2) A change to the system to try and stop people from exploiting it (Long term goal)

I've been in the same situation as you, however I didn't claim as I managed to sort myself a job out just before I was getting to that stage, but be honest with yourself and admit that a lot of the feelings your getting are because you really do not want to have to label yourself with "I'm a person that claims".