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Benefit stopped for not taking minimum wage job

I was recently made redundant again and have been signing on at my local Job centre.  Recently I was taken to one side by a woman claiming to be the manager, she asked me to start signing on at the main Job Centre in Leeds city centre.  I refused and informed her I knew my right to sign at my nearest office.  This really ticked of certain members of staff there and every time I signed on they continued to harass me about it.

Then my housing and council tax benefits where suddenly stopped without any notice.  I called in at the local Job Centre to find out why and was told by one of the staff that I had failed to respond to a letter sent to me in December 2009, which made no sense at all as I only started signing on in January 2010!  When I told him this he got all flustered and accused me of being threatening (I hadn't even raised my voice once!).  Then last week I was called in to sign on and have an interview.  The so called interview was at 09:40 and I was called to a desk and shown some minimum wage, dead end jobs.  By the way I'm a Printer with an ex-wife and kids to support so a minimum wage is just not enough.  I said none of the positions were suitable as the money was just too low.  She said OK and I signed on at that point.  I was then told that I could go and when I asked 'What about this interview?', she informed me that that WAS the interview.

On Friday my benefits were stopped as I was accused of saying 'I was not willing to work certain hours'.  The working hours never even came up at the interview I did not know I was having!  When I pointed this out on Friday she changed her story and accused me of saying 'I was not willing to travel to Huddersfield (for minimum wage)' .  My point was the salary not the commute.

Benefit stopped for not taking minumum wage job It's supposed to be for the long term unemployed...

So I now have no income, I have made a complaint and have an appointment with the manager on Monday.  The manager is male?  Who was the woman who introduced herself as the manager?  Why was she so desperate to move me to Leeds?  Well!!???

She is one of the 'new deal' gang, you know...  the governments beautiful training plan.  So I looked into this and my local Job Centre does not run the new deal as it's classed as a smaller office and its run from Leeds city centre.  It all begins to make sense now.  It's suppose to be for the long term unemployed and yet I had only been signing on for a month when I was collared?  This 'new deal' thing to me seems to be all about providing cheap labour to large UK companies by forcing people to work for the minimum wage.  Meanwhile these companies are cutting back on hiring there real staff. 

I know there are some people who just will not work, and my god do they keep telling us about it!  It gets your back up and you all over react and let the government pass new legislation which in affect hacks away at the very safety net that you may well be falling towards yourself in the near future as this country is about to go into economic meltdown.  And now our government are treating us like their own live stock.  I have paid handsomely into the British tax pot for twenty years and do not expect to me treated like scum because I lost my job.  I am used to earning 30k+ within printing and I'm not willing to work for minimum wage.  I was chatting to another guy in the same boat as me, his benefits were stopped as he would not take a minimum wage office job.  The guy is a Chemical Engineer for goodness sake and has real skills!  When will we the British public wake up to what's going on here? 

I saw a picture on a political news site last week and it so summed up the British attitude to life.  It was of four people in a boat, two at either end of the boat.  The two at the front where bailing out the water as fast as they could, due to the hole at their end.  And the two at the other end where laughing and thanking there lucky stars that the hole was not at their end of the boat.

By: Aleedsfella

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I never agreed with it but the common consensus was, if you did not vote it was a vote wasted. I do not vote if I do not agree with the policies that the party's up for election believes in. I will not vote even in local elections for the same reasons. Stay at home or if you are being intimidated into voting, go to the polling station, then spoil your paper. You will get a great feeling when the person who has forced you to vote their way has been thwarted & doesn't even know it. Just smile sweetly.

-3

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Boblet - 12-Nov-11 15:29 

I know I’m repeating myself, but don’t vote for any of the major parties, they all **** in the same bucket.
It is about time people stopped this, “I have always voted Labour-Conservative” nonsense.
Use your vote as a protest.
Put the b*****s out of work, they are good for nothing but the garbage heap

+1

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Stalag 14 - 12-Nov-11 13:10 

There are some benefits that should be stopped, including child benefit after the first, or second, child. There are some families that consist of a single mother with many kids, simply the result of milking the benefits system for every possible penny, with the mother never having had the intention to go out to work, and the cycle of welfare will continue with the kids. Providing benefits to European immigrants when they arrive here is incredibly irritating, and I really am beginning to resent paying my taxes now. Pete is right in that so much money is wasted, or being lost because of fraudulent claims.

Benefits should actually be significantly increased for people who have been in work for many years and have paid a lot of money into the system, at least for the period of a couple of years to give them a decent time period to find another job.

The only real change that can occur with all of this is when we stop electing public schoolboy governments (including Labour), and go for something radically different that will get us out of the European Union and make a genuine effort to significantly redistribute the wealth in this country.

In the meantime, our population is heading toward £70 million on this tiny island, and the politicians are doing nothing about it. I've moved this last decade from having an interest in politics and politicians to now detesting the lot of them! Voting for any of the 2 main political parties - the ConLibs and Labour - is a pointless exercise!

+4

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miserablemoaninggit - 12-Nov-11 10:37 

It´s an aristicratic, elected and therefore legitimised regime, it can do whatever the hell it likes in its own country while it deflects attention to others. It goes on about forced labour while it does it in its own country. It goes on about human trafficking while it supports the antiquated refugee laws that encourage it.

All of your money has been given to dodgy projects overseas, refugees, family reunion schemes etc. Our govt rewards bad behaviour, have 10 kids, aid to pakistan, money that it had to borrow, most fo that will end up in corrupt hands, they will inturn spoend it on hosuing int he uk and push up house prices further, thus marginalising you further. Would you borrow money to give to a complete stranger while your own family are suffering? Record your conversations the next time you go there, I do. Their scum and ever since they integrated the dole and job office it has done nothing but provided a facility for employers to pay minimum wages. This is reagonomics.

+2

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Pete - 12-Nov-11 00:35 

"Stop all benefits"? a lot of people on here have absolutely no idea of how modern economics work. First of all you tax bill would not fall by a single penny, and secondly and more importantly the countries economy would instantly implode. Only the British people could argue for a benefits cut in the middle of an economic melt down!

-5

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Aleedsfella - 3-May-11 15:31 

It's been my experience that the GOOD folks seldom get the benefits (or the respect) they NEED, whilst able-bodied bullies are often given every benefit. Burns me up to see a couple in my town fit to work stealing off the rest of us by enjoying full council benefits. Decent folks who have been made redundant and/or have worked hard all their lives, they DESERVE the help!!! It is sad to know ungrateful freeloaders who think they're smart are using up what GOOD folks should be getting.

0

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Gracie - 12-Apr-11 17:49 

Tinkerman, You are "Spot On", but there is a saying, "Don't let the B******s get you down". Your anger is understandable, but let it go, for you are only causing hurt to yourself.

+1

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Gollum - 12-Apr-11 12:39 

MGH. It does bug me at times to think that we have the "Don't Work-Won't Work Parasites" milking the system, they have no conscience and believe it to be their right to sponge of those that have/are creating the wealth. I truly feel that anyone who is mentally and physically able, should be made to contribute in some form or other. This country is in need of a real shake up and believe me it will happen sometime in the not too distant future. I genuinely feel that all those that have contributed should be at the front of the queue at their time of need and be treated with respect when applying for aid. Unfortunately, there are those in the public sector who deal with unemployment benefits who consider themselves superior and enjoy the "I have the power" mentality. My wife and I are in our seventies and though we never had the luxuries of today when we were raising our children, what we did have was job security because there was work for everyone, plus.
I cannot begin to imagine what you and your family are going thru, but do not despair, do try to be positive for your own well being. Every cloud has a silver lining, you will see. I wish you well.

-7

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Gollum - 12-Apr-11 12:33 

My god these people who want to suggest STOPPING BENEFITS should wake up!! Do you want to go back to the 1800's and have work houses, people starving and child poverty. Yeah it might be alright for you now with your cosy job, thinking the cuts WON'T AFFECT ME! Well someday mate (believe me it can happen) you will be joining us on the dole queue! After working for 20+ years my husband and I are now out of work. This time last year we both had what we stupidly thought were secure government jobs and that we would ride out this recession no problem. Low and behold we are now thrown onto the scrap heap and god forbid we have to claim benefits, how dare we ask the state to support us you say! Well wake up folks and smells the roses because nothing is rosy for us!!! We have paid enough contributions over the 20+ years we have been working (may I say very hard indeed, as contrary to popular belief civil service work is not an easy ride). Oh and forgive me for having a nervous breakdown at the moment whilst claiming benefits, really I should pull myself together you say and throw those antidepressants out, well believe me mate it is no laughing matter, I certainly wasn’t laughing the other day when I considered taking an overdose or hanging myself, but my husband managed to stop me.

0

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MGH comment how ignorant! - 8-Apr-11 04:47 

Have you ever seen the pre-selection test questions for job cetre staff? in order to pass the test you have to be an absolute ruthless egomaniac. The average job centre worker has no sympathy for those out of work, they are self centred egotistical morons who like the idea of being in control. They are usually on short term contracts which are reviewed every 6 months so by acting like they do their bosses think they are wonderful and keep them on. I have been unemployed for 2 years and the only work they have is agency related stuff, which means a short term job then back to the job centre again, I have worked for 16 different employers in 2 years as the agency lies about permanent work availability to the job centre to get their ads on the system. I have a masters qualification and the job centre tells me to lie about qualifications because I am over looked for the jobs I apply for, if I tell a lie at interview they usually ask my last employer who fills them in and then its goodbye.
The problem is that the Uk is seen as an easy touch for immigrants from the EEC who now have to work here for 6 months before they are eligable for ALL benefits, so they come here as single men and work wherever,claiming child benefit for kids that arent actually living here. then at the 6 month stage the rest of the family arrives and then its jackpot time for everyone with benefits paid out for the entire family for people who havent put anything into the system.
AND before anyone starts calling me racist, my grandparents came to this country from Poland in 1940 and fought for this country. It annoys me that due to govt stupidity unemployment is rising and people are treated like criminals because they ask for financial help from those who have squandered our future prosperity by allowing more people into the country than it can support and then go further by helping more than a few greedy fat-cat bankers

+6

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Tinkerman - 31-Mar-11 14:16 

Hi everyone the key word with this government is direspect for unemployed people eg lose your local government job through cuts then get told your lazy and must work for pittance or your benefit will be stopped. A nazi policy I think and an insult.These pompous individiuls who run the country live on a differant planet.What about the europeon court of human rights I am sure this government day of judgment will come and everything will backfire on them.

-12

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Tony Montana - 5-Feb-11 19:03 

“And what about those who are born with disabilities? Keeping them in hospitals and residential facilities for life costs a lot more than paying benefits. Why don't people think before they type?”
MGH,

The cost is the only reason not to “keep” people with disabilities in “facilities” is it? Nothing to do with the desire for an independent life and your own home? What do you think disabled people are – animals to be “kept” somewhere?

Why don’t people think before they type?

-4

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Petra - 31-Jan-11 18:50 

' agree with the stop all benefits lobby. All benefits should be paid on past ni contributions. So those who have never paid in will get nothing out. a massive change in the law will soon give powers to job centres to close all loopholes and force scroungers into work tough old life innit ????? a life with no stella oh deary me.'
And what about those who are born with disabilities? Keeping them in hospitals and residential facilities for life costs a lot more than paying benefits. Why don't people think before they type?

-4

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MGH - 31-Jan-11 17:56 

I myself have been subjected to the ignorant and at times halfwitted jobcentre staff. Like most teens I have left school struggled to get a job but to no avail, I then went to college and attained the highest grade available in my course which was Nat Dip health and social. The jobcentre have completely overlooked these quiet decent qualifications along with a batch of other small ones that I gained at the same time and seem to think that I'm just not trying hard enough. When the future jobs fund was in place I was being forced into every job available as part of the scheme. All they were interested in is getting me out of their hair for a few months. I was told if I did not manage to secure a position with FJF then I would then in six months time be transfered to the mandatory schme which I gather is where you work with the council for little or no money in a sector that you aren't even interested in. Now three months from that point I have been told I have to attend the mandatory scheme which is a thirteen week period of work at just ten pounds over the jobseekers wage. To me this makes no sense at all because during this period I will be expected to work five days a week alongside other people who are working the same hours as me and are getting far more wages. also this thirteen week period disables me for looking for any permenant employment as there will be little or no time to attend an interview if I was luck to get one.This lands me in a vicious circle, I will be back down the jobcentre in thirteen weeks time in exactly the same position because if the placement they put me in needed workers they would advertise for them. The experience I gain will probably be how to take all the flack for someone.

-4

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Sir Had It Up To Here - 16-Jan-11 02:50 

I'm sorry if my comment is out of context, but to all you people that have choosen to live beyond your financial means(big houses, big expensive cars,keeping up with the neighbours) the days of reckoning are here for you.If you wish to keep your sanity and your family together its time to start living in the real world. Tough times are here and the test will be to survive, so, if you still insist on ignoring the problems you face, you will crash and burn.

+3

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jethro - 28-Dec-10 13:17 

The Judge, if you have any form of benefits payed into your bank account, like child benefit you have an incentive like cheap food, so put a stop to it.

-8

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tramp - 16-Dec-10 21:39 

I can see a civil war heading in this direction it has happened in so many countries around the world and I can see the uk ending in a blood bath , rich v poor and there are a lot more off the latter.

-1

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Mr Bolshevic - 3-Dec-10 08:58 

I agree with the stop all benefits lobby. All benefits should be paid on past ni contributions. So those who have never paid in will get nothing out. a massive change in the law will soon give powers to job centres to close all loopholes and force scroungers into work tough old life innit ????? a life with no stella oh deary me.

+1

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Mr time for change - 3-Dec-10 08:50 

A useless bit of advice I no, but take any job you can get, claim all you can get, then find work with money paid in hand, then pray you don`t get found out.

-13

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Member of Parliament - 1-Dec-10 20:45 

My advice to people on jobcentre workfare scheme.Always use the argument in any appeal against benefit sanctions.You are legaly entitled to wages regardless of the jobcentre sending you to work
So if they try to dress it up as training eg 30hours working for charity shop don, t have none of it they can have you carrying boxes up the stairs and still call it training.We all know it,s b.......t

-1

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Tony montana - 1-Dec-10 06:54 

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