For those who have no idea…

nealglover – Member

For example: If you take any freelance, or agency work – maybe you’ve got an offer of a couple of days work, you have to sign off, and if you get no more work then they put it all through again as a new claim. Which takes 5 weeks to process. Therefore: who’s going to take the chance on a punt of some temporary work? When if nothing comes of it, you’ve no money for 5 weeks?

That maybe was the case in the past, but it not anymore (not for at least 2 years anyway, maybe more)

There is a fast track re application process using all the same details, that cuts out all the waiting. You would get your money on time.

bullshit. i recently spent about 4 weeks with no money after doing 3 day agency work. that was November 2012.

Tpbiker said

more than happy to pass on a CV of anyone who is struggling and keen to get back to work.

please please e-mail me i have looked in your prifile and cant seem to see your e-mail. mine is watson_tony@hotmail.co.uk
Thank you

when I was younger I battled with drug dependency, which ultimately led me to some very dark places through unemployment/ benefits system and eventually to being homeless for a while.

there are no easy answers, but from personal experience lack of a job and feeling that you have worth and are seen as scum by many can lead to depression, to escape via drugs into a viscous downward spiral.

If you are lucky you get a break (weirdly it took waking up next to a good friend who had OD’d whilst I was out of it, to make me realise that it was either die or do anything to get myself back) and if there is enough of “you” still in there you can grab the opportunity with both hands.

My worry is that with the way things are looking there will people who never get that opportunity or it will be too late and they will be “institutionalised”. That feeling of worthlessness no matter how much you want to work or get back into “life” is grim and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Not everyone is a pikey scrounger.

lol at nealglover– sounds like a govt computer, yep watsontony is right, you sign off and on its a nightmare with your jsa– do not even think what happens to housing benefit- that is a real headwrecker– it really is not worth the bother/risk — good luck tony !

i recently spent about 4 weeks with no money after doing 3 day agency work. that was November 2012.

dont know what went wrong as rapid reclaim saves them time and money as well

Scarily I have to say I agree with Miliband on the latest Government Welfare Bill:

Miliband said: “The truth is that this rancid bill is not about affordability. It reeks of the politics of dividing lines that the current government spent so much time denouncing when they were in opposition in the dog days of the Brown administration.

“It says a lot that within two years they have had to resort to that dividing-line politics. We know the style: you invent your own enemy, you spin your campaign to a friendly newspaper editor, you ‘frame’ the debate. But the enemy within in is not the unemployed; the enemy within is unemployment.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jan/08/whitehall-assessment-controversial-welfare-bill

don’t forget jy- its been centralised now, i sign in bangor,yet all decisions , paperwork etc goes to wrexham, so any problems wil be down the line,staff in local centre cannot deal with any part of your claim– you have to go to the dreaded phone in the corner, and no lie here, they keep you on hold for a period of time, 5 -15 mins listening to looped music– its a subtle kind of torture– when you get through, they log your query/issue– and are then told it will be looked into–beleive me the whole thing is designed to put you off !!!

Likewise – if anyone is looking for work in London, Bristol, Derbyshire or Sheffield, drop me a line and there’s a possibility I’ll be able to help (Sheffield being the most promising atm), but some sort of experience in the Construction Industry would be a minimum really and a CSCS card more than helpful.

dont know what went wrong as rapid reclaim saves them time and money as well

yea its meant to. the benefit delivery center and jobcenter just blame each other for any problems.

The lies and deceit from the govt, their media lapdogs and also the meally mouthed millipeede party– make no mistake, new labour are no different, they all prostitute themselves to capitalism– the big machine must be kept turning no matter the human cost !

Too bloody true!

they keep you on hold for a period of time, 5 -15 mins listening to looped music– its a subtle kind of torture

38 mins the other day when i was ringing up to ask why i had recived a letter 1 week after sending them a 1 month sick note saying it had expired.

I’d like to hope I’m more in touch with reality than some on here, I have friends and acquaintances from all backgrounds and with wildly varying incomes, some of whom I really don’t know how they get by, but this thread is a salutory reminder that I have, and have always had, a pretty sheltered, comfortable existence.

Good luck to the OP’s mate and anyone in a similar situation.

I sympathise with the OP’s mate. Not wishing to trivialise his situation but as he’s experienced working with dogs can he not do something a bit out of the box. Round where I live (admittedly a fairly affluent area) there seems to be a new dog walking service springing up every month and there are even dog sitters collecting and looking after the dogs of people out at work all day. The hourly rate seems to be about £10. Might not be a normal 9-5 type job but could see him earn a bit of cash and he’d be his own boss.

bullshit. i recently spent about 4 weeks with no money after doing 3 day agency work. that was November 2012.

Thanks for that.

I got signed back on straight away after doing 6 days work for an agency.

This was in December 2010.

Rapid Reclaim exists, it’s not “Bullshit”

tyke– nice thought but don’t think people are going to drop their pooches off in n wales for a few hours do you–or are you suggesting he moves to some prosperous area , with a tent or something –need to be practical !

Artistknownasstr– are you a ‘pimp’ in the construction industry ?— i have thirty years experience in civils/house/shopfitting– but as a trade union activist have some issues getting a start in many places…

Artistknownasstr if anything pops up in the north west please give me a shout. i have my cscs card. i am a joiner but also willing to labour. just needs to be within traveling distance of blackburn via public transport.

Artistknownasstr– are you a ‘pimp’ in the construction industry ?— i have thirty years experience in civils/house/shopfitting– but as a trade union activist have some issues getting a start in many places…

Ha – no, I just work on major contracts, where I know there might be possible work for others – it’s highways based though.

Personally I turned down a £32.5k job offer (guaranteed start) as a supervisor on the Sheffield PFI as the offer was at least £10k shy of where it needed to be (and a position well below where I’d want to be if I went back into PAYE employment), but the Project Manager has since called me to ask my opinion of 2 people I know of in the industry for the same position – one of which I told him not to bother with and the other I recommended. I’ve also got another operative a fast track interview and subsequent employment through my recommendations.

The other locations are slightly more spurious as to the requirements for labour, but I have contacts nontheless.

watsontony – Member

Artistknownasstr if anything pops up in the north west please give me a shout. i have my cscs card. i am a joiner but also willing to labour. just needs to be within traveling distance of blackburn via public transport.

Might have a contract coming up on the Mersey Tunnels (Liverpool) if that’s of any interest. The company I contract to employ people with joinery skills for shuttering on foundations – albeit general labouring would be required too – should know something in the next few weeks.

Thanks for that.

I got signed back on straight away after doing 6 days work for an agency.

This was in December 2010.

Rapid Reclaim exists, it’s not “Bullshit”

humm there is some inconsistency hear then. but to be fair i have done other jobs prior to this and sometimes my experiences resembled yours. there has been more than one occasion that i have been left with no money for a number of weeks after taking temp employment for 1 or two weeks. a lot of building jobs are very temporary.

watsontony – Member

Artistknownasstr if anything pops up in the north west please give me a shout. i have my cscs card. i am a joiner but also willing to labour. just needs to be within traveling distance of blackburn via public transport.

Might have a contract coming up on the Mersey Tunnels (Liverpool) if that’s of any interest. The company I contract to employ people with joinery skills for shuttering on foundations – albeit general labouring would be required too – should know something in the next few weeks.

yes defiantly interested in that. please keep me informed. would you like to take either my email address or phone number?

watsontony – ygm

There was a wonderful explanation of the lack of understanding of the true meaning of poverty by and old chap on radio 4 this afternoon. He spoke of a conversation he had with another chap about the “good old days”. He said what was so good about them, all he can remember was being cold. To which the other chap said “Yes but you could just put on another warm jumper”. To which he replied “Not that easy when you don’t even have one warm Jumper!

watsontony– you need to get a start on a proper job, with proper wages,conditions –they are harder to come by in this present climate , but they do happen now and then– usually large projects- but not always–my advice to all workers–make sure you are in a union– especially in construction– so much bogus self employment– another crime in my book !!

I think this is the greatest demonstration that some people with money really do understand exactly what it means to be poor. Take it away, Ann Romney:

“’They were not easy years. You have to understand, I was raised in a lovely neighborhood, as was Mitt, and at BYU, we moved into a $62-a-month basement apartment with a cement floor and lived there two years as students with no income.

‘It was tiny. And I didn’t have money to carpet the floor. But you can get remnants, samples, so I glued them together, all different colors. It looked awful, but it was carpeting.

‘We were happy, studying hard. Neither one of us had a job, because Mitt had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time.

‘The stock came from Mitt’s father. When he took over American Motors, the stock was worth nothing. But he invested Mitt’s birthday money year to year — it wasn’t much, a few thousand, but he put it into American Motors because he believed in himself. Five years later, stock that had been $6 a share was $96 and Mitt cashed it so we could live and pay for education.”

Heartrending isn’t it.

artistknowasstr– my travelling days are over,will bide my time and await wylfa B- that should see me out….

i wish i could get a proper job, since leaving school at 16 i have done joinery at collage for 2 years then since 18 i have been from one temp position to another. broken up by spells on jobseakers allowance i am now 22. i am on esa untill the 19th (shoulder injury) but am still desperately looking for work. If no one else will give me a secure full time job i will have to make one for myself. I am currently writing a business plan i dont want to be rich i just want enough to support myself any thing else is a bonus. this life of let downs and boredom is not for me i know i can do so much better and i will do better. sometimes things just get me down but as the saying goes it is always darkest before dawn. i now just need to make my own “dawn”

I Am moved by that speech Northwind

Like an intelligent rational Alex Jones but with added empathy.

listen up , you only young, your life will get better, believe me none of us can see round corners, you will land good one day, i done many many shit jobs, good thing about the building game is they don’t last for ever, soon as you start a job, its the start of the finish!

This is the worst time for construction for thirty years or so, but it will pick up , it is cyclical, wages will go up, opportunities will appear, there will be a ‘skill’ shortage and the whole thing will begin again– but you have a good attitude, so will always get a start.Stay in touch, you never know !!

I Am moved by that speech Northwind

yep, unblock a bowel that

im currently in between jobs. at the moment due to an injury i am on employment support allowence because my doctor says i am unfit to work.

But you are still ok to ride your bike? What does he/she say bout that?

Sounds like you are trying to look for work and to make something happen work wise and I wish you all the best with that. What’s in your business plan? Anything you can share or we can help with? My mate is a self employed chippy so could ask him for advice if you want.

But you are still ok to ride your bike? What does he/she say bout that?

i am still going on my bike yes. it does hurt. The thing is esa and jsa are the same money wise. but for this month whilst i am signed off for a genuine injury i am going to stay on esa but still look for work. the only difference is i dont have to sign on.

There are a lot of blaggers out there. but i am certainly not one of them. i want a secure job more than anything. its not just about the money. As long as i can live a comfortable life i am not too botherd. BUT i want to feel satisfied about what i do. i want to live a life i can be proud of.

The situation is only going to get worse for anyone unfortunate to rely on benefits as the 1% rise agreed today is going to be well below the anticipated increases in food and fuel increases, not to mention if any one needs to use public transport. The change to Universal Credit later this year is going to be chaotic for many people. And changes to Housing Benefit have marginalised tens of thousands, particulary young single people. And if your on ESA you will have to endure an ASOS assessment which has forced many severly ill people to have their ESA benefit withdrawn.

Yet in yesterday’s Daily Mail there was an article about Boris Johnson bragging that the Child Tax Credits his family had received had helped fund skiing holidays.

The reasons behind people’s unemployment, poverty, benefit dependency are many, various and often complex – so Daily Mailish simplistic views about work-shy benefit scroungers watching Jeremy Kyle on their flat screen TVs are largely wide of the mark. Job loss, health problems, divorce and many other factors can cause people to fall into the financial problems and may inhibit people moving back into sustainable employment.

I work with an advice charity, and one of our projects deals with current and ex-servicemen who are facing money / benefits problems. The project is seeing on average 20 (ex)servicemen per month, so if this is scaled up to a national level the annual numbers will run into thousands (hardly a marginal problem). The charity is also seeing an increasing number of people who are affected by food poverty.

There is help and support out there for ex-services so it might be worthwhile the OP’s mate contacting the British Legion, SSAFA or Royal Airforce Benevolent Society and they can refer him onto the appropriate advice.

The level of poverty in the UK is shocking, 130,000 people used foodbanks last year and that’s before the new benefits caps / cuts.

After reading about their work, I now donate to The Trussell Trust.

http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects

RichPenny – Member
I’ve never really spent that much time with people on benefits, mainly due to luck really.
I’ve just re-read that and it makes me sound like a bit of a ****. So I’ve left it in

POSTED 14 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

I thought the use of the word ‘luck’ was quite pertinent. How many people consider what they’ve achieved in life owes a large amount to the ‘luck’ of being born in the UK/stable parents/whatever.

Sure there are always rags to riches stories, achievement against adversity, but I’m pretty sure I, and many others on here wouldn’t live in the relative comfort I/we do if been born into less desirable circumstances.

/anecdote

A friend of mine who has a successful career in the city main bug bear with the ‘ho-ray Henry’s’ he works with is the sheer ignorance of the fortunate lives they’ve been born into, private schooling, endless educational opportunities etc, and the headstart it’s given them over a lot of the population

Working or just attending a place of work over the required hours also deprives your family and freinds of your company.

Not over my required hours at all. The whole construction industry works on, generally, 55hr/5.5day weeks. That’s just the way it is, in case you didn’t know, but yes, the second part of your statement is true. It does do just that.
But
That’s the way (Generalising here, but it’s true) that less educated/lucky/able people manage to afford a decent life and home for their families: They work long hours in crap jobs that sitting-on-their-arse-all-day office bods can’t even begin to imagine ever doing, the sort of job they sneer at. That’s what I’ve been doing for 23 years. Yes, it’s shit. I’ve worked all over the country, outside in crap weather up to my knees in mud, at 10pm in November at times. I’ve started work at 4.45am, got home at 11.30pm, been sworn at, threatened by the ‘less honest’ section of our society and nearly walked out 100 times…. To build the offices you work in and the roads you drive to them on.
All of that and more, to pay for a nice, but average, house, some bikes and a holiday now and then.

And you know what, I do not feel, AT ALL guilty about having a few months off on the tax I’ve paid into the system since I was 17. Not even slightly. But to be told that I might loose that few quid because I decide to PAY FOR MY OWN retraining…? That pisses me off a little bit.

To the OP – sounds pretty tought for your mate, hope he gets sorted.

If he’s x forces – could he potentially become a British Military Fitness instructor?

Just a suggestion.

http://www.britmilfit.com/

PeterPoddy – Member
They work long hours in crap jobs that sitting-on-their-arse-all-day office bods can’t even begin to imagine ever doing, the sort of job they sneer at.

Well done for not being a hypocrite.

from another thread:

for me and my wife 2500 [fixed outgoings] a month, inc. all food car, bills, life insurance, mortgage, childcare etc etc.

If I’m honest it’s really getting me down at the moment. How can we save anything when our outgoings are that large, it’s **** ridiculous.

Not having a pop at the person who wrote this – just struck by the contrast in “situations”.

Well done for not being a hypocrite.

It’s true though. I’ve been on the end of it.

peterpoddy– the construction industry would work 24/7 if it could , us trade unionists have been fighting for decent wages, a 39 hour week– so you can have a life– its an uphill battle , but doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try for things that others take for granted–have you heard of the national working rule agreement?– all big firms are party to it —well in theory– any hour over 39 is paid at premium rates– non of this shift shit– payments for working in ardous conditions, height money, travelling money, lodge money– these are things that you should be getting –not bogus self employment at a fixed rate irrespective of the hours/days you work– less hours more pay– not the other way round !!