Do unpaid work or lose your dole money.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....enefit-crackdown.html

This scheme is to be implemented in London at first, and then if successful it will be 'rolled out' across the rest of the country.

Although I agree with this in principle, does one think it will really be successful?

Can any one see a problem?

[Canary42]

How will this improve unemployment figures ?

If able to get labour free, Firms will recruit even less (and probably lay off more).

[ummmm]

Canary - //They will be expected to spend 30 hours a week on 'community benefit' work experience in places such as charity shops and care homes or delivering meals on wheels.//

Hardly going to affect the job market.

[mccfluff]

i think its a good idea. As long as they get the time off for job interviews

[friedgreentomato]

Personally - I think it is a good idea for those that have been unemployed long term.

[LoftyLottie]

As per Fluffy.

[VHG]

The problem with any scheme like this is that who monitors the people who may be doing the unpaid work.

I remember hearing a phone-in a few years ago where a woman said her son had been given a number of days community service for a crime he did.

But each day he was supposed to go to community service someone rang him up and said don't bother to come in as there is nobody to monitor you.

So a scheme like this will never work as you always have to pay someone to monitor those doing the unpaid work, and there is never enough people to do that monitoring.

What we should be doing is to stop giving benefits to people who don't want to work, while allowing more and more immigrants / EU people in who WILL work, but for far less than the minimum wage.

[wolf63]

I am Incapacity Benefit (or whatever it is called now) since 2003 and have done voluntary work for most of that period. I think that it is beneficial to both the person and the charity. I think that about 10% of our shop staff are long-term unemployed and they all enjoy doing the work.

But to make it compulsory is another thing - too many variables. Not sure if it would work.

[anotheoldgit]

/// So a scheme like this will never work as you always have to pay someone to monitor those doing the unpaid work, and there is never enough people to do that monitoring. ///

Well I would have thought that there would be someone already there in the Charity Shops, Care Homes etc. to monitor them.

It is like someone being paid to do that work,and asking who would be there to make sure that the employee turned up for work.

[2sp_]

Is it really unpaid work if they are getting dole money?

[ummmm]

It would be ran like a child being put on report at school. The report card needs to be filled in and signed.

[jake-the-peg]

If I'm trying to run a commercial business and getting competition from someone (or the state) employing people be it convicts or the unemployed at vastly lower costs I'm going to be at the courst as quick as ninepence!

[wolf63]

Our shop manager only works in the mornings so technically we are left to do what we want in the afternoons.

But we take a pride in our shop and all work hard(ish) to keep it running. There doesn't need to be someone there to watch us.

[B00]

Is your commercial business a community benefit one JTP? If not, you've nowt to worry about.

[hc4361]

Most meals on wheels drivers are in proper, paid employment.

Neither the unemployed nor prisoners should do jobs that could be done by a properly paid employee.

Re being forced to volunteer in charity shops - who is going to oversee them? Other volunteers? That is too much to expect.

[divegirl]

What I don't understand is....if these positions are there to be filled why not employ these people on a proper wage in the first place? And by proper I mean above minimum wage. How anyone is expected to live on minimum wage is beyond me [though being self employed I earn less than that some weeks :0/]

Lisa x

[divegirl]

and to add...especially in London!

[dotty.]

they have been doing that for years now, the scheme they sent my son on afew years ago after he had done 26 weeks on the dole was a full timne job for £90 a week. his wage was paid direct to him by the governemnt, it worked out at about £2.50 an hour or something like that and he worked 8-5 5 days a week in a shop, he did it for 12 weeks i think. it was demorolising because the shop could only afford to use that type of labour ad so after each 12 weeks they took someone else from the dole, that is free labour. he had no choice to do it ither, luckily he found a proper job. it was called job club i think.

[tonyav]

Will they be paid minimum wage ?

[anotheoldgit]

wolf63

Very commendable of you doing voluntary work wolf, but!

/// I am Incapacity Benefit (or whatever it is called now) since 2003 and have done voluntary work for most of that period. ///

I would be interested to know that if you have been able to claim Incapacity Benefit since 2003, how is it that you are able to do 'voluntary' work in a shop, surely you could get 'paid' work in a shop?

/// But to make it compulsory is another thing ///

Perhaps that is the problem today, some people lack discipline and are allowed to do just as they like, so it my be a good thing for it to be made compulsory?