I think I've just been sold into slavery.

[CAPTCHA]

Hyperbolic title but not too far of the mark.

So I've been unemployed for over a year and the jobcenter have sent me to this outsourced provider who are to aid me in my jobsearch. I went in to the this providers office today and here's what they told me would be happening:

*My rate of attendence was left vague, though my target for number of jobs applied for per week would be 10 or more. Less and I would have my benefits stopped for 6 months.
*They would apply for jobs on my behalf and would not require my consent to do so.
*Many of the jobs they would put me forward for do not require an interview.
*The only reason a job could be turned down is based upon money (i.e. would earn less in the job than claiming benefits).
*Quiting work for any reason disqualifies the jobseeker from further benefit.
*Accepting the above are mandetory to continue claiming benefits.

I asked if this would mean I would be getting a phone call at some point telling me that I was now going to be working for some job I would hate and not be able to hold down. Their responce was that it was in their interest to find me work that I would stay in since the government pays them by the length of time the client stays in work. To that end they would work with me to find something that I would be able to stomach.

Anyway once the papers had all been signed, the woman doing the induction took us for a tour of the faciliies and we stopped of at the job board. There's another worker sat by the board, who ask us what type of work we're looking for. I tell him I'm at universtity studying IT so I'm looking for something in that area, to which the guy practicly spits out his sandwich and scoffs, "you haven't found anything in the last year, what makes you think you're going to find anything now?". I said that that I hoped that coming to this place could help with that and he just snorted and turned to the next guy.

I'm just hoping that this guy is just a prick, but I don't know. I have a feeling that this is going to end badly.

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

You're working at a temp agency right?

 

[CAPTCHA]

You're working at a temp agency right?

Something like that, only at the behest of the government and with the intention to distribute long term unemployed into the jobs no one else would touch with a ten foot pole.

 

[JoJo]

Pffft, just be thankful you're getting benefits in the first place. I see you live in the UK like I do, in many other countries people in your situation would be on the street by now. Part of life is having to work for your place in society, even if you hate the job you end up getting be glad that the government paid an agency to find you that job in the first place. Heck it's not like they're going to force you to work down an unsafe mine or something, how bad can it be?

...

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I really feel that only small children, the elderly and disabled should rely on the state and that if you are an able adult getting paid our tax-money, you should be willing to put back into society in-exchange for what we give you. It's only fair.

 

[Limecake]

I tell him I'm at universtity studying IT so I'm looking for something in that area, to which the guy practicly spits out his sandwich and scoffs, "you haven't found anything in the last year, what makes you think you're going to find anything now?". I said that that I hoped that coming to this place could help with that and he just snorted and turned to the next guy.

I'm just hoping that this guy is just a prick, but I don't know. I have a feeling that this is going to end badly.

that guy was a prick, you gave a normal answer to a question he asked and he then went on to tease/make fun of your answer.

but if you know even a little bit about IT you shouldn't have that much trouble finding a job. Even working for staples fixing computers would pay a little money. Or I had a buddy who made extra money on the side fixing peoples computers via craigs list.

but you might have to lower your standards a bit, there's nothing wrong with washing dishes while looking for a better job. Honestly I've washed dishes and it's not bad at all, in fact it's fairly relaxing when you go from a high-stress job (or situation) to washing dishes, you really don't even have to be good/kind most places are desperate for work like that.

The main goal is to get you some money coming in, you might have to swallow some of your pride though.

also: if you were to leave one of these jobs they find you because you found a better job would you still be cut off from future benefits?

 

[Scarim Coral]

Geez talk about having your right taken away!

I in a similar boat well was in a similar boat (I finally gotten myself a job now recently eventhought it's part time) but my is much more fairer than yours (btw I'm with the Job Centre and also this local job agency that also with the Job Centre)-

Yeah I got to applied for a numnber of jobs per week which my is at least over three. I can't meet that requirement all the time which they are ok with it unless I keep missing that marks for a long time.

All the job finding is still within my consent except for the job plan (a list of things I should be doing in order to find a job).

All the job seaching are within my preferance so they won't be looking into job I dislike (like catering).

While I agree that guy you mention at the end was a prick but you do got to be realistic about it (I have been unemployed for alot than you have been).

 

[putowtin]

I'm currently trying to claim disability benefits...

I've seen 4 different goverment "health specialists" who have all classed me as being "disabled" in some way, yet after 2 years I'm still filling in the same forms and having to make daily phone calls to chase up my claim.


I'd cry if it wasn't so pathetic!

 

[Shivarage]

Pffft, just be thankful you're getting benefits in the first place. I see you live in the UK like I do, in many other countries people in your situation would be on the street by now. Part of life is having to work for your place in society, even if you hate the job you end up getting be glad that the government paid an agency to find you that job in the first place. Heck it's not like they're going to force you to work down an unsafe mine or something, how bad can it be?

...

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I really feel that only small children, the elderly and disabled should rely on the state and that if you are an able adult getting paid our tax-money, you should be willing to put back into society in-exchange for what we give you. It's only fair.

Just because someone else has it worse isn't an excuse to lower everybody's standards, say that to a manager or ceo and they will still ask for tax cuts and benefits (they actually got their tax cut recently, no joke!)

How do you explain people's pensions being devalued by printing new money? how do you explain how job cuts, salary cuts and even more cuts affect those who didn't cause the economic crisis? how do you explain the banks getting bailed out for failure? how do you explain their consistently high and rising bonuses?

Answer all these and maybe I will start taking your arguement seriously, as far as I can see it's all been a huge joke before and after the current depression, the richest get everything handed to them for no work or value while they talk down to us plebs like we are idiots and telling us to "work harder and stop whining" and when we do, we get rewarded with more work and less pay

OP has a very good point, the rulers are taking the piss and they don't seem to intend to stop anytime soon

 

[saoirse13]

I was on a steps to work programme over a year ago, the second step was to work full time for 3 months in a placement. Sounds fine right, However I was working from 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday in an estate agents with nothing more than my normal benefit. I got nothing else. I would have been happy if there had have been the opportunity of a permanant job after my 3 month placement was up, but there wasn't. The employer did not have to pay me anything even though he was given a subsidy of £57 per week to take me on. Not only that but the employer was nothing more than a nasty, cruel scumbag that did nothing but repeatedly verbally abuse me. I told my placement manager of this and how i wanted to leave and her reaction was to say that if I did I would lose my benefit, anf that i may be blacklisted for a job. I stuck it out in the end but put in a formal complaint about him. Turned out over 8 complaints had been made about the same employer.


So it pretty is much like slavery.

 

[Albino Boo]

Want to know about slavery? Try working 48 hour weeks, year in year out, lose most of the money in tax, to pay for some guy with an overwhelming sense of his own importance to sit around and watch Jeremy Kyle after you subsidized his university education.


Welcome to world of work, the vast majority of people don't like their job, but they do it anyway. Its called taking responsibility for yourself and paying your own way. Why should the rest of the nation pay for your pride. Do you think the binmen love smelling of rubbish or the woman getting up at 6 am to clean toilets has a fulfilling working life? What makes you more important than them? Their taxes have paid for your education and your dole money.

 

[JoJo]

Pffft, just be thankful you're getting benefits in the first place. I see you live in the UK like I do, in many other countries people in your situation would be on the street by now. Part of life is having to work for your place in society, even if you hate the job you end up getting be glad that the government paid an agency to find you that job in the first place. Heck it's not like they're going to force you to work down an unsafe mine or something, how bad can it be?

...

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I really feel that only small children, the elderly and disabled should rely on the state and that if you are an able adult getting paid our tax-money, you should be willing to put back into society in-exchange for what we give you. It's only fair.

Just because someone else has it worse isn't an excuse to lower everybody's standards, say that to a manager or ceo and they will still ask for tax cuts and benefits (they actually got their tax cut recently, no joke!)

How do you explain people's pensions being devalued by printing new money? how do you explain how job cuts, salary cuts and even more cuts affect those who didn't cause the economic crisis? how do you explain the banks getting bailed out for failure? how do you explain their consistently high and rising bonuses?

Answer all these and maybe I will start taking your arguement seriously, as far as I can see it's all been a huge joke before and after the current depression, the richest get everything handed to them for no work or value while they talk down to us plebs like we are idiots and telling us to "work harder and stop whining" and when we do, we get rewarded with more work and less pay

OP has a very good point, the rulers are taking the piss and they don't seem to intend to stop anytime soon

If you don't like the way the country is being run, vote out the "rulers" next election in 2015. I wouldn't give high hopes for them or anyone-else being able to solve the problems you've described in your post though, it's a fact of life that we have to work hard to keep our society afloat and that probably won't change, at-least not until someone invents robots who can do the work for us ;-)

Until that day there's no room in our society for free-loaders, people who genuinely can't find any work or are disabled I don't mind getting benefits since I'd rather not having them starving in the gutter but I don't see why hard-working taxpayers should have to pay for people who have been offered a job but turn it down because they're too lazy or it isn't up to their "standard".

 

[Total LOLige]

I can't see their being a huge rise in job vacancies until the next election. You know if our government can't make the link between cutting jobs in the public sector and a rise in unemployment, they're more retarded than I am.

 

[Shivarage]

If you don't like the way the country is being run, vote out the "rulers" next election in 2015. I wouldn't give high hopes for them or anyone-else being able to solve the problems you've described in your post though, it's a fact of life that we have to work hard to keep our society afloat and that probably won't change, at-least not until someone invents robots who can do the work for us ;-)

Until that day there's no room in our society for free-loaders, people who genuinely can't find any work or are disabled I don't mind getting benefits since I'd rather not having them starving in the gutter but I don't see why hard-working taxpayers should have to pay for people who have been offered a job but turn it down because they're too lazy or it isn't up to their "standard".

...And yet you're just fine with hard working taxpayers paying for failure

you didn't answer any of my questions and guess what, the current government didn't get voted in so that's your "vote for someone else" idea out the window

There's no room in our society for rewarding failure a hundred thousand times as much as surviving money for a down-on-his-luck unemployed person

I want proper answers or else don't bother replying

 

[Loop Stricken]

I'll probably get to go through all this loveliness myself in about four months, but I know people who're on similar schemes at the moment, and yes, they are schemes.

Get placed into a position to work for your benefits.
Not only could this position be given to someone as an actual job, but you're not even earning the wage you should be; you're essentially working for your benefits, which isn't anywhere near minimum wage.
And employers are free to just rotate people out. So not only are they being subsidised by your being there, they're saving money on wages.

It's fucking ridiculous.

Ah well, time for bed. Have to go to the JobCentre in the morning. I wonder if I can get my signing time changed to something a little later than 9am; having worked nights for the past five years and being a nocturnal kind of person anyway, it really screws up my sleep pattern having to go to bed four or five hours early to gather my scum money.
[sub]Before any smartarse mentions it: Yes, obviously if I got a day-shift job I'd adjust my sleep pattern, but it's absolutely not worth it for one fifteen-minute portion out of an entire fucking fortnight.[/sub]

Speaking of the JobCentre, I wonder if their in-house jobsearching machines will again consider Glasgow to be under the remit of my local-area search... from Birmingham.

 

[Thyunda]

Pffft, just be thankful you're getting benefits in the first place. I see you live in the UK like I do, in many other countries people in your situation would be on the street by now. Part of life is having to work for your place in society, even if you hate the job you end up getting be glad that the government paid an agency to find you that job in the first place. Heck it's not like they're going to force you to work down an unsafe mine or something, how bad can it be?

...

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I really feel that only small children, the elderly and disabled should rely on the state and that if you are an able adult getting paid our tax-money, you should be willing to put back into society in-exchange for what we give you. It's only fair.

Just because someone else has it worse isn't an excuse to lower everybody's standards, say that to a manager or ceo and they will still ask for tax cuts and benefits (they actually got their tax cut recently, no joke!)

How do you explain people's pensions being devalued by printing new money? how do you explain how job cuts, salary cuts and even more cuts affect those who didn't cause the economic crisis? how do you explain the banks getting bailed out for failure? how do you explain their consistently high and rising bonuses?

Answer all these and maybe I will start taking your arguement seriously, as far as I can see it's all been a huge joke before and after the current depression, the richest get everything handed to them for no work or value while they talk down to us plebs like we are idiots and telling us to "work harder and stop whining" and when we do, we get rewarded with more work and less pay

OP has a very good point, the rulers are taking the piss and they don't seem to intend to stop anytime soon

If you don't like the way the country is being run, vote out the "rulers" next election in 2015. I wouldn't give high hopes for them or anyone-else being able to solve the problems you've described in your post though, it's a fact of life that we have to work hard to keep our society afloat and that probably won't change, at-least not until someone invents robots who can do the work for us ;-)

Until that day there's no room in our society for free-loaders, people who genuinely can't find any work or are disabled I don't mind getting benefits since I'd rather not having them starving in the gutter but I don't see why hard-working taxpayers should have to pay for people who have been offered a job but turn it down because they're too lazy or it isn't up to their "standard".

Or, who, like me, have drifted between two goddamn cities trying to find work and been turned down at every opportunity.
And then the JobCentre have the goddamn nerve to try and take my benefits off me. That did not end well for either party, I assure you.

Freeloaders. Pah.

 

[cookyy2k]

Now people, this is where I use the word entitled. Why do people think they're entitled to free money, then when they're told they have to accept anything they get given work wise they go crying about slavery.

As mentioned earlier it's nowhere near slavery, you have the option to say no (you just stop getting free money), if you don't say no you'll be payed. Both these points disprove your slavery one.

If you get offered a job, any job what makes you think you have the right to say "no, I don't think I will take it, I think I'll keep taking out of the tax payer"? If you get offered a job and say no you should recieve no benefits at all. Benefits is not a choice, it's a survival method until you get a wage coming in.

You have 13 weeks at the beggining of your JSA to restrict what sort of work you would accept, you remained unemployed now it's you have to accept anything.

JSA is NOT free money, it is for you to seek employment. The clu is in the title and the fact you have to go sign on with proof of searching for a job.

edit: also this

Want to know about slavery? Try working 48 hour weeks, year in year out, lose most of the money in tax, to pay for some guy with an overwhelming sense of his own importance to sit around and watch Jeremy Kyle after you subsidized his university education.


Welcome to world of work, the vast majority of people don't like their job, but they do it anyway. Its called taking responsibility for yourself and paying your own way. Why should the rest of the nation pay for your pride. Do you think the binmen love smelling of rubbish or the woman getting at 6 am to clean toilets has a fulfilling working life? What makes you more important than them. Their taxes have paid for your education and your dole money.

 

[A BigCup of Tea]

I'm currently trying to claim disability benefits...

I've seen 4 different goverment "health specialists" who have all classed me as being "disabled" in some way, yet after 2 years I'm still filling in the same forms and having to make daily phone calls to chase up my claim.


I'd cry if it wasn't so pathetic!

Really!? That sucks dude, i got my disability pretty quickly AND i didn't even have to see a health specialist (although that may be because i'm just diabetic (please don't hate me for it!)) maybe get in touch with your local mp to try and help you sort it out ( you must also be owed a hell of a backlog of money)

OT:i'd complain about that guy if i'm honest he seemed a bit of a dick, the job center have finally got off their ass and helped me so i should be able to apply for employment in about a month

 

[Quaidis]

You are likely going to get a job putting t-shirts on hangers at a donation facility, or working at a factory putting picture frames together and soles on shoes. At the best you'll get a job at a chicken farm and get to rake shit.


That was generally my experience a few years ago when I was thrown at a job-counselor. Except when I put 'atheist' on my application, the first two I met wanted me to work for one of a number of churches for free. They told me that 'volunteer work boosted my chance at a better job'. I left.

I sadly did not get a job shoveling farm shit. Though I did do volunteer work at a horse ranch for a short stint.



I currently live on disability benefits. It took five years, and the only way they let me have it was because I hired a lawyer.


Captcha: Come on DOWN!