People on Benefits should have to give time to community

[Green Web]

Fair enough, i never suggested they should work for charities anyway. I want to see them in the outdoors, doing menial tasks that dont get done by any other means. Preferably wearing a uniform to identify them.

 

Isn't that what Sheffield City council do?

[nightrider]

People on benefits should have to give up some of their spare time to the benefit of the community. Examples of activities (lets not call it work and cause an outrage) they could do would be litter picking from green spaces, steward work at public events to give relief to the police (thats not 2 activities..). Upon completion of activity, a card is stamped and presented for benefits. No stamped cards = minimum benefits. Stamped cards = a bit more cash.

 

how do you then justify paying some people a wage to do this as a job whilst others do similar things and only get benefits which adds up to less?

[theripsaw]

how do you then justify paying some people a wage to do this as a job whilst others do similar things and only get benefits which adds up to less?

 

As I said in a previous thread, those that do it as a job have contracted to haul their bum out of bed 5 days a week or whatever. Those on benefits can choose whether they want to get up to earn an extra crust. With a proper job comes proper responsibilities for which one needs remunerating for.

[nightrider]

As I said in a previous thread, those that do it as a job have contracted to haul their bum out of bed 5 days a week or whatever. Those on benefits can choose whether they want to get up to earn an extra crust. With a proper job comes proper responsibilities for which one needs remunerating for.

 

If they work the same hours and just as hard as the employed person I dont see how it can be justified. If they do the odd 2 hours every day then obviously it is different.

[Green Web]

Dont a lot of the unemployed already give to the community by keeping Police, Social services etc in jobs?

[JoeP]

Fair enough, i never suggested they should work for charities anyway. I want to see them in the outdoors, doing menial tasks that dont get done by any other means. Preferably wearing a uniform to identify them.

 

But that's still the issue of why those jobs aren't real jobs; this seems to be punitive rather than anything else.

 

If people are genuinely work shy, they'll still be work shy on a scheme like this. They'll show up and do sod all or a half arsed job. If you have to 'police' them, then you're paying out for people to watch these skivers and ensure a good job's done. Seems a waste of money.

 

I mentioned on another thread recently that I'm self employed and as such am not entitled to large chunks of benefits anyway. If I don't work, I don't eat. I know this sounds brutal but for those who can work and choose not to, a system by which benefits are reduced to zilch over time might encourage a flexibility in finding work that they'd not considered before.

[Green Web]

But that's still the issue of why those jobs aren't real jobs; this seems to be punitive rather than anything else.

 

If people are genuinely work shy, they'll still be work shy on a scheme like this. They'll show up and do sod all or a half arsed job. If you have to 'police' them, then you're paying out for people to watch these skivers and ensure a good job's done. Seems a waste of money.

 

I mentioned on another thread recently that I'm self employed and as such am not entitled to large chunks of benefits anyway. If I don't work, I don't eat. I know this sounds brutal but for those who can work and choose not to, a system by which benefits are reduced to zilch over time might encourage a flexibility in finding work that they'd not considered before.

 

Exactly, forcing people to do work just creates more jobs for people who want to work already i think?

[banesmabes]

Her, and the rest of the Windsors have pretty much full diaries from here till forever with engagements etc. So they ARE actually doing something. Besides they are all PRACTICALLY in the armed forces.

 

It's a myth that the royals spend each and every day packed with public engagements. Many of the tally of engagements announced at the end of each year include several short engagements on the same day, and engagements classed as work that the rest of us would class as leisure (for example attending Royal Ascot). So when they announce that the Queen has attended x number of engagements per year, it doesn't mean she was working that many days in the year. The Royals spend many months of the year on holiday - much longer than any of the rest of us could hope for. Get them picking litter!!!

[Greybeard]

Fair enough, i never suggested they should work for charities anyway. I want to see them in the outdoors, doing menial tasks that dont get done by any other means. Preferably wearing a uniform to identify them.

 

Seems to be all about what you want, - I imagine you'd really like to see them chained together at the ankle to prevent them absconding.

 

Being unemployed isn't criminal...it happens to lots of people, often because greedy emloyers can make a little more profit by moving the job abroad. You'd apparently like too see the victims of such redundancy treated like convicts.

 

Hope it never happens to you.

[medusa]

When I was unemployed (for a short time in my early 20s between jobs), I regarded looking for a job as my occupation.

 

Someone at the job centre took exception to the fact that I wouldn't put down on my forms that I would look at low paid menial jobs (because I had just bought a house and was sole income for a mortgage, and needed £12k a year to meet the mortgage payments) and so insisted on me having a 'prove you're applying for jobs' interview every 2 weeks.

 

I turned up to my first interview with 120 rejection letters, from a month of applying for jobs- and didn't attend my second interview since I had a job interview instead (which I got BTW).

 

If we fill the time of people who are meant to be looking for jobs with community work, how will they be expected to attend for job interviews and the like at the same time? Surely that takes priority?