dole claimants now in same boat as criminals

[Trumpton]

The company I work for accept New Deal applicants on a placement system.

It works like this:

Someone who has been claiming JSA (Job Seekers' Allowance) for 18 months are required to attend the New Deal 'Gateway' programme. They are on this for 4 months, at the end they have to go on to a placement. The placement technically can be "employment" - but in reality it's much different.

The placements are organised by the Employment Services (Job Centre) but are carried out by private Training Provision Providers. These TPP receive ?40 per week for each person they find a placement for.

The people we've had are between 18 and 25, they are supposed to work for 30 hours per week - but in reality it's about half that. All we can give them to do is a bit of sweeping up. For this they receive their JSA plus a training placement allowance of about ?13 per week and traveling expenses.

[number 6]

The world we live in today everybody on benefit is classed as scum,and with the govt in trouble in the polls i guess it no surprise they are going to introduce policies that are basically saying to the jobless,,""you are scum,we hate you,get a fucking job"

[colonel]

I have experience of that- from the provider perspective and not from the employer or the claimant.

Run fairly, if a claimant has not got a written guarantee of a job after the number of weeks of a placement less 6, then they are moved onto another employer. If less than 2 weeks remain, then they are brought in house or sent back to the Job Centre without penalty.

However, if there is misbehaviour- or if a job is declined or left within a month, then they will receive a loss of 2 weeks' benefit. This can rise incrementally to 8 weeks' loss; to 2 years' loss at the discretion of a regional director and to permanent loss at the direction of the Secretary of State for repeated, violent and dangerous behaviour.

Special payments are made in this case to spouses and children.

[michaeldon1]

I don't know about New Deal,but I imagine it's similar to Employment Training which they had back in the 80's,training with a placement and the hope/prospect of a real job and wage at the end of it...that is not whats on offer here though,it's full time work for unemployment benifit...Now if people are being trained,to gain qualifications,to gain employment,fair enough,but full time community service,without the prospect of a job at the end of it?????
It's turning the unemployed into criminals without trials
I think the government is trying to plug the financial hole caused by bailing out Northern Rock,and I don't think this will work
Plus how much is this going to cost to set up?????