Mandatory work program

I've been hearing about this for a while and at 1st I thought it could help people finding it hard to get a job, but from what it appears is it's just a way of getting people kicked off their benefits because these programs are way too strict that one mess up and your out so it's not being to helpful when they know the people they are meant to be helping are a bit out of the loop on how to get a get a job. In mandatory work program they are offering a work placement and other services to get people back in to work. In programs before they had the same kind of deal but they went through a list of things to check and make sure you know you ins and outs of every thing to do with getting a job

Do you think it is unethical to make some one go to a work and not get paid for it?
(though with their benefit they sort of get paid for it but at £1.78 an hour with out taxes or £2.28 with taxes roughly, but minimum wage is £6.08 as of 1st of October figures are based on that)
I think it's unethical to force them to work for more than what they get (just over 12 hours work would cover it, but they are made to work for 30 hours) if they are just getting JSA if you claim for Housing benefit as well and Tax Credits it isn't really a problem because you would need more than 30 hours paid work to cover it.

I'm set to go to this next week I hope it isn't as strict as they say it is and that they know what they're doing I'v been to a couple like one knew what they were doing but was overly strict and the other had no clue what they were doing and were way too lenient.

The one that was too strict provided great help on how to apply for work effectivly and ran through some scenarios to give you a better idea of interviews and the workplace but the workplacement was bad you weren't needed and you were just dead weight. They also discriminated to some of the clients by refusing to take them on saying "I have know idea why you were sent here" then when they are gone saying "I can't stand people like that I had to just get rid of them". They're able to do it because they are aloud to use their own discretion. I know because they made a mistake saying I didn't turn up to some of the things and when I managed to prove I did turn up I was told they can use their own discretion and I was still kicked out.

The one that was lenient never sent out appointment dates, kept forgetting about their clients, didn't care if you were late, offered work placements but never gave any one a work placement, offered exclusive jobs but used the same web site any one could access, and they didn't comunicate with the Job Centre.

Although I can understand that it's hard to start working after a long period of unemployment, you have to get started somehow and this seems like a kinda good idea to me. I don't like how it's mandatory though. They should try to get people into this program with their own free will by offering something they want (more money, for example), not throwing together something half-assed and then forcing you to do it. Because that's what this sounds like to me, hearing it from you.

In short: The concept is good (imo) but it's questionable if it works in real life. So I don't know what to vote.

Programs before hand used to offer more money as an incentive's and it felt like you weren't being force to do it (an extra £15 and you got free lunch each day for doing 25 hours a week). I think the lenient one may have offered it when you got a placement but since I never got one I don't know.

The only issue I have with it is strictness I'd rather not receive more money and not be too encumbered with the idea if I mess up I'm done for because kicking you out doesn't help any one with their problem finding a job. Even a (de)merit system would be better you did well bit extra cash, you did bad bit less cash as an intensive to do better (limit to how much added or taking away depending on how much you get at the time).

A friend of mine was on welfare or food stamps for a while. i seem to recall there being a 5 year limit. i think i heard that you can only get unemployment if you had a job that payed into unemployment(deducted from paycheck like social security i guess), and you had to show proof that you were actively seeking new employment to keep recieving benifits. i've never recived any of those my self, so i don't really know the specifics. maybe it's different state to state.

In Britain When I started Job Seekers Allowance you had to of worked with in the past 3 years I was told but I know people that have never had a job get it. Plus I didn't have to prove I had worked before. You had to keep a record of every thing you did to get work (3 types of attempts a week), they changed the system at some point to apply for so many jobs (about 5, though I've heard people have to do more and less). I did try to debate with the Job center about the amount because if you did that every week there will be times with no jobs available some weeks because you would of applied for them all and some months there will be an absence of jobs. I hypothetically said to them if I applied for 3 jobs and there was no others to apply for what do I do and they responded just apply for 5.

So in America what happens if you reach the end of those 5 years or haven't paid into the unemployment?

Different states different laws.. in Arkansas you can only get 2 years of welfare if you are actively looking for work and if you have more kids when your on then you don;t get a increase in the benefits. I don't know about it in real life because my mom never qualify for it since she made fifty buck from the cut off and i had a special insurance from the county since we lived in a rural part of the state. I never was a fan of the welfare system unless you really needed it and couldn't work ie pregnant, poor and had no one to watch the kid and school... food stamps and medi-cal are a different matter. My kids are on a state insurance since my job doesn't cover them nor does my military insurance since we're not on base nor am i on active duty.

Their jobs they can do since the roads and bridges are in need of repair like in the depressions.. and their no real jobs in my area... lucky i can do my thing and make a lot of money.

I'm confused, how is this work Mandatory? do we get arrested or somethin' for not working?

I think that if people are capable of working, they shouldn't be on welfare.

If you refuse to do it or fail to do it you get a sanction on your money that you are getting for at least 3 months and a maximum of 3 years and you can't appeal for 1 month depending on the persons circumstances that could cause some one to end up homeless or not be able to buy their video games it varies. This isn't just for long term Job Seekers you can get sent to this with in the 1st few weeks of signing on as well (though it used to be for just long term job seekers). It's understandable that some one would refuse because their being told to work for below the minimum wage that the law says they're entitled to.

Also apparently a lot of people that are disabled but don't or used to qualify for disability benefits are having to take Job Seeker but aren't able to work. I've only read it in news papers not seen it 1st hand. Now some people that are disabled could work a little but on job seekers they will be expected to work full time.

The British passed the Old Poor Law in the 17th century that forced everyone to work.

I don't think an old law like that still stands today and it looks like it violates human rights.



In the uk I don't think any one can do that only people that have had long training and licences can do it.

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One other thing that is quite worrying about the Job Center is they pull rules out their asses that aren't officially in place. I was told of a rule that they say has been in place for ever but they've only just told me about it in the last couple of months that I have to look for work in a 30 mile radius (I've heard some one being told of 60 miles) and their reason for it was that the exact rule they say is with in 1 1/2 hours journey back and forth (for me that time scale would be about 7 1/2 miles with transport). Now the worrying thing is people that are disabled won't be able to do that and some one who doesn't know the area will have some trouble. When you 1st sign on they give you a Job Center Agreement that list all of the rules to your claim and when they make up these rules they always follow it by it is in your Job Center Agreement which if it's made up it isn't in there.

I found out some odd being in the program will class you as employed for some reason. I'm unsure if it's because it makes the government look good or because being classed as employed may reduce some benefits.

It was repealed in 1948.

What exactly is the Old Law because all I could see when I Google it was some law that broke human rights.

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I just realized one more thing they almost tricked me on they said I have to wait at least a months to appeal a sanction but sources online say I have up to one month to appeal. I defiantly haven't heard them wrong because I did comment back at them saying exactly what they said or what I thought they said and they didn't correct me.

Hrm. I'm only sure about how unemployment works in my own state. Basically it goes that first you are required to have been working a certain number of hours to qualify, usually around full time.

Second you can't have quit your job, you have to be fired from it.

You didn't need to pay into taxes, the way it works is after the employee hits the time of unemployment, when they file it goes to the employer in question stating how many hours the person is qualified for. At this time an employer can either deny the claims and provide proof, or just accept them.

The employer then pays unemployment (usually around half of what someone would make during that period of time.) And it only last up to I think 6 months.

They should have followed the system here in Georgia. It is called Georgia WORKS

You "work" for free but, receive your unemployment benefits

The employer gets to "test drive" a new employee with no real commitment or cost to themselves

The way the Job Center was before wasn't really a problem except they didn't evaluate what a person might be doing wrong in applying for work and how do do it effectively. There was a program that did it but you would have to be with them about a year before they did it. There was a volunteer program people could do that wasn't mandatory but people weren't told about it and if you were volunteering any where you were expected to just drop it when you had to go to a work program.

Instead since the new MWP started the Job Center stopped being helpful, got stricter, vague in what you need to do, lied occasionally, would tell you off for some thing they told you to do, inconsistent in their procedure that you have to follow, gave clients a quota of things to do each week that isn't feasible (The only way client can actually keep up with the quota is to lie).

I'm not sure if the mandatory programs are actually enforceable since nothing about signing on does it say any thing about having to do any work the whole point in it is to look for work (I think). I also find I apply for less work in these programs because I'm too busy going to work.

Governments tend to be overly complicated when it comes to programs.

I went to the mandatory work program today it didn't feel like any kind of program I've ever been on they didn't check any of the basic stuff. They just asked about my work history and insulted my hobbies. They then ask me would you like to work in.., what would you say if I could get you an interview for.., ok we got you an interview for.., now when you go to this interview don't be suprised if they ask you to work for nothing they need to see that you are able to do the job and if they ask for an other week do it. They then tell me if I don't do a good enough job at the interview I could lose my money.

They didn't be clear whether this is a work placement or a job if it's a work placement then it feels like a trap because if I think it's an actual job after I've worked 2 weeks for nothing if they ask me to do an other week I would say no any one probably would but then it turns out to be a work placement then you are screwed.


If it turns out to be a real job I would have to turn it down because the hours aren't long enough any way.

If it turns out to be a work placement the long commute is going to be a pain since I don't know the area and it takes 3 hours to get there and back.

The only thing I'd get out of it is some experience in an interview that I really want because I've never had an interview before my previous jobs were voluntary jobs and 1 paying job all offered to me with no interview.

P.S I asked whether or not it was a work placement or an actual job and they canceled my interview and said it was an actual job and said since there was some confusion they don't think I am ready for it. It sounds suspicious.