"Job Seekers" Allowance

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by BarnsleyReds, Dec 4, 2017.

  1. John Peachy

    John Peachy Well-Known Member

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  2. troff

    troff Well-Known Member

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    Similar situation to whitey, I lost my job just over six years ago. Had never claimed a benefit in my life but applied for jsa.

    After being spoken to like turd numerous times on the phone and in person - they finally processed my claim. I got one payment. About £130 I think for a fortnight.

    I was offered and accepted a three month fixed term contracting job, with the start date over a month away. I informed the job centre as I was instructed to. Apparently even though it would be two months before I saw any wage and a month before I was even working, they stopped the money right away. I later learned, not from them, that I shouldn’t have told them I’d found a job until I started as they always instantly stop money. Cracking system. Nothing to feed my family with or pay anything. I had to borrow from family - I was lucky I had family who could help. I don’t know what I’d have done without them.

    During the period I was told that I was not entitled to any assistance with my mortgage. My wife worked, but under 16 hours as we had young kids, so was also told that out of work our tax credits might reduce. They did, they ended up ‘overpaying’ even though we informed them of everything and we had to pay them back in instalments. Don’t get a penny in tax credits now.

    Having paid all my dues in the years leading up to needing help, and having paid many thousands in tax in the years since (I’m very fortunate that my three month contract has been extended continuously for the last six years, it’ll end at some point though), it is a disgrace that people are treated in that way. If I find myself out of work again in the future I’d be reluctant to even ask for help as the whole thing is massively degrading and unfair.

    And it is a myth that there are millions of scroungers. Yes there are some serial lazy sods no doubt. But look at the actual figures.

    In the financial year ending 2017, the UK government spent £264 billion on welfare, which made up 34% of all government spending.

    Only £46billion to working age people - and the majority of that to working people in top up benefits like tax credits, income support, child benefit. Less than 1% of the welfare bill, £2.2billion, was spent on the unemployed.

    The uk population is about 65 million. Over ten million over 65, 15 million under 16.

    So 40 million in theory working age, not taking into account further/higher education and disabilities. There are currently about 800,000 jsa claimants. About 2% of the working age population, just over 1% of the overall population.

    Just over a single per cent of the population, and the majority of those will be genuinely out of work and in need. Doesn’t leave for very many ‘scroungers’.

    People believe far too easily what the biased media portray as true, be that in the papers, on tv and more and more online. This country has a massive right wing bias generally in the media, a problem confounded when the most sensationalist far right views are printed in the sun, the star, the papers read by the biggest section of society, with the lowest intellectual value and content, massively influencing the people.

    You have to dig deep to actually find the information and then draw your own conclusion. Far too many just believe what they are told.

    There are also a decent proportion of folk, Xerxes as an example, in the ‘I’m alright jack’ club. Arrogant beyond words, assume that because they’ve done ok there is absolutely no reason that anybody else shouldn’t, that they work and earn so people out of work deserve nothing, they have no excuse, if you can’t find work move. Too blinkered to realise that if everybody had the same approach, everywhere outside the major cities will be even further marginalised, the workforce saturation in those major city areas will lead to less need to pay higher rates, reducing the incomes there whilst removing any prospect in ‘where they come from’.

    I’m earning a decent living at the moment, not enough to stash loads of savings but enough to get by without benefit top ups and afford to put away for the kids and have a holiday etc. I pay plenty of tax, I’d gladly pay a few more quid to make the system much fairer. I’ve been in the position of needing the help in the past, I hope not to be again but I’m not going to cast aspersions on those that do need it. It’s not like we are saturated with job opportunities.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2017
  3. upt

    upthecolliers Well-Known Member

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    This is what the Torys do, downgrade the working class and yet theirs working class people that vote for them why god only knows. I could tell you about what my family have had to go through with my 22-year-old autistic grandson but I'll not as it upsets me to the extent I might lose it and get barred.
     
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  4. 36 Chambers

    36 Chambers Active Member

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    Quite a few countries limit it to a year. Should be more than long enough to get another job unless there are special circumstances.

    When thousands of people can come here from Central and Eastern Europe and get jobs it can't be that difficult.
     
  5. dreamboy3000

    dreamboy3000 Well-Known Member

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    I have autistic reletives too so can pretty much guess it will be the same. Basically when they reach adult age of 18 they are forgotten about as much as they were before they reached that age. The same person, same circumstances but all of a sudden cutbacks in things like payments and hours you can have a carer for to help out, so you have time to yourself for housework, shopping or just being able to do your own thing for a few hours.
     
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  6. kektyke

    kektyke Well-Known Member

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    Like I said above I was on it for 6 months and my advisor was pretty good and she left me to it, but she had people on her books that had been with her for 3 years and just got sanctioned. They would then do enough to get the sanctions lifted then repeat so they were always in the system
     
  7. 36 Chambers

    36 Chambers Active Member

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    JSA wasn't any different under Labour.
     
  8. upt

    upthecolliers Well-Known Member

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    Yes it was.
    Let me tell you this my uncaring friend until you have had to deal with these unfortunate circumstances don't spout about them, like its nothing, it makes you look like a **** .
    Dreamboy3000 yes its very difficult to live a normal life when you have to care 24/7 but we have to do the best we can, the family are the only ones who care and definitely not a Conservative government.
     
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  9. Jam

    Jamo Well-Known Member

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    Excellent post by Troff, and why I have contempt for anyone that votes Tory based on reading scumrags like the Sun or because they're doing ok themselves and would spite those who actually need help.

    Working class people in mainly non-metropolitan areas (major example being Skegness and Boston) are turkeys continually voting for Christmas.
     
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  10. joh

    john coucom Well-Known Member

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    Might be a silly question but why the dislike for the tories
     
  11. joh

    john coucom Well-Known Member

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    Unless you know how to work the system
     
  12. Jam

    Jamo Well-Known Member

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    Not a silly question.

    The necessity of food banks under their government for people who actually work, no increase in pay for nurses and other public workers, desire to privatise the NHS and keep the railways in the hands of private companies who charge stupid money for a mediocre service, their contempt for working class people, their contempt for disabled/vulnerable people, their contempt for students (£9,000 a year ffs), just a few reasons.

    Labour are nowhere near perfect and there are sensible Tories out there who I'm sure do want the best for the country, but the party as it is now is a disgrace and most of the people who vote for them are of the contemptible "I'm alright Jack" variety.
     
  13. Dan

    Dan Well-Known Member

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    Me neither.

    I worked myself up from YTS to Global Management, whilst 100% refusing to move down south where all other management was based.
     
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  14. Sco

    Scoff Well-Known Member

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    Depends on what you do. In my career (IT), earnings within South Yorkshire - including Sheffield - are generally significantly lower than I could earn for the same work in Leeds, Nottingham or Manchester and the job opportunities are much less. I'm lucky in that I have a decent paying job, but I have to travel for work. In the last year, I've been in London, Birmingham, Dublin, Gloucester and Swindon. Depending on the client determines how much I have to be on site or at home.
     
  15. dartonpete

    dartonpete Well-Known Member

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    It's not the jobs that are the trouble, its zero hour contracts and wages. Anyone who has been in the system on here knows its far from perfect. When you take a zero hour contract job, what do you do when they say we don't need you this week? You have to mess about trying to get money from the DHSS & that is what has changed in this country. To some people its safety being on the dole. But boy they struggle.
     
  16. Jam

    Jamo Well-Known Member

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    That too.

    Tories constantly claiming credit for lowering unemployment. Well done, you've forced people into zero hours jobs which often leave them worse off than being on the dole, increasing the likelihood that they'll then go for the "safe option" of guaranteed (albeit miniscule) income. So the Tories then attack welfare further.

    They really are a bunch of deplorable, horrible ********.
     
  17. RedKestrel

    RedKestrel Well-Known Member

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    Drops mic
     
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  18. upt

    upthecolliers Well-Known Member

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    The worst thing about this country is we are ruled by 10 DUP members of parliament, May can not fart without their say so, it must be worrying for all these Torys but hay we've got our country back.
     
  19. loy

    loyal tyke mb Active Member

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    When you have been out of work a while it helps to update your skills with training. If you do not practise your skills you forget them. I like Labours proposal of a free 12 month college course to anyone out of work for 12 months, As to the influx of people from different parts of Europe most are young doing long hours requiring lots of energy and are working in low and medium skilled jobs. The number of apprenticeships has fallen in the last 2 years training is neglected in many companies. The tories love to top slice all the goodies while the working class fight amongst themselves for the scraps.
     
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  20. 36 Chambers

    36 Chambers Active Member

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    Been unemployed under both and it was the same system.

    Turning every issue into Tory-bashing makes the site seem like a Momentum site or something.

    Like the Labour lot are any better.
     
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