Slave labour in the Uk exists - official!

[Graeme1983]

Ive spent a bit of time in between jobs in the UK. It is a bureaucratic nightmare and its true as said above they dont like it when you dont do as your told.

My biggest problem was being honest about my side job. I was in the TA getting paid for weekends every other week and getting a few quid Tuesday nights. The hoops they made me jump through signing on and off.

Mini Hitlers enjoying the little bit of power they have been given over other people, I wasnt surprised to learn about the pressure and cajoling they were doing to people on these placements.

 

[ellal]

for being asked to work for two weeks at pound-land.

And therein lies the reason why you have made an A*rS*e of yourself yet again...

She wasn't 'asked' - she was told to do so under the threat of forfeit of her benefits which was a lie...

Coercion to force someone to work for free = slave labour practices!

Whilst she is working for free for the museum and being paid for by the JSA, she is not job searching.

Whilst she is being forced to work for free for a private company the same applies dipstick...

 

[Graeme1983]

1. Whilst she is working for free for the museum and being paid for by the JSA, she is not job searching.

How do you know? Also working for free in the museum as well as providing a service for the public, is also building up her portfolio as they say in these fields, for more secure future employment in the correct field.
The UK is a grim, bent society based on greed and dog eat dog. You wouldnt get this sort of thing in Scandinavian countries such as Finland or Norway. You dont even get this greedy public propierty over state benefits in the poorer country I live in.

Ask yourself why cait reilly is the one who is getting her names splashed around everywhere, why she is appearing on shows and in interviews harking on about "forced labour", for being asked to work for two weeks at pound-land.

Why her and not the guy who was asked to work for 6 months, hmmm......

Maybe because she has more balls, younger people usually do. Hasnt been ground down by the fear of unemployability of the older chap yet, the constant grind to meet mortgage payments, bills and kids. I dont think this has done her employment chances any harm, with the right employer.

 

[Geometer]

1. Whilst she is working for free for the museum and being paid for by the JSA, she is not job searching.

I don't know how long it is since you had to look for a job, but things have changed a lot in the last 10 years. There's no need to go tramping the streets or rooting through the Sits Vac columns of newspapers, the internet does it all for you. And before you say anything, the days when you could swan into a shop or factory and be given a job on the spot are long gone, it's all websites and online CVs now. A few hours a week is all it takes.

2. The work scheme is for the long term unemployed +9 months.

She's been out of work for more than six months (it's 6 months now) so she's obviously not trying? B*ll*cks, with all due respect. There are thousands of people who have been out of work for much longer than that, who send off 100s of applications every week, and they're not getting work because there's a recession on and nobody's hiring.

Take the above two facts and ask yourself if it's such a leap to make

They're not facts, they're conjecture.

There ARE people that need kicking up the bum to get a job, that do need to be forced to do such things or will just bum around, you either do nothing, or do something, but if you do something (and this is something) you will always punish the good with the bad.

So the ends justify the means? And what if the means aren't achieving the desired ends? There is very little evidence to suggest that any of these schemes are doing anything useful in terms of reducing unemployment. As a taxpayer, you should be asking yourself if any of these schemes actually represent value for money.

At least you admit there is an injustice there.

Ask yourself why cait reilly is the one who is getting her names splashed around everywhere, why she is appearing on shows and in interviews harking on about "forced labour", for being asked to work for two weeks at pound-land.

Why her and not the guy who was asked to work for 6 months, hmmm......

There could be any number of reasons for that. You're making assumptions again.

 

[joinerjohn]

Aron, as others have pointed out, if these people were made to work within the community, for the benefit of the community, then I would not have a problem with it. I do however, have a problem with Poundland, Tesco's and any other massively profitable company, increasing their profits through such schemes. Someone else has already pointed out that these schemes are actually denying others the chance of a paid job, because Poundland, Tesco's etc will use the scheme to their own advantage. While ever they are offered free labour, they ain't gonna set someone on to do that job, therefore the dole queue won't get any bloody shorter, as jobs are not created.

 

[chapeau]

I dont think this has done her employment chances any harm, with the right employer.

I wouldn't hire her. I'd be worried that if I asked her to make a cuppa tea for the team she'd be in the staff handbook looking to see if that was in her job description and if it wasn't she'd be at the high court on legal aid claiming to have been bullied. She might get a job in public sector.

 

[ellal]

I dont think this has done her employment chances any harm, with the right employer.

I wouldn't hire her. I'd be worried that if I asked her to make a cuppa tea for the team she'd be in the staff handbook looking to see if that was in her job description and if it wasn't she'd be at the high court on legal aid claiming to have been bullied. She might get a job in public sector.

Don't worry. I'm sure she's now on some hidden private blacklist just like all those thousands of construction workers who had the gall to stand up to bullying employers!

 

[RonnyRaygun]

I haven't read all the replies here, but here's what I think...

Forcing job seekers to work for nothing exacerbates the problem of unemployment in this country. While businesses can get work done for nothing by the "unemployed", they have absolutely no incentive to pay people to do those jobs. The result is higher profits and more disparity in income distribution.

Internships are a similar matter, as technically it means a company cannot pay below minimum wage, but they have every right not to pay at all! The only difference I see here is that at least graduates are then gaining useful experience that they can put on their CV, which might help them in the future.

Jobseekers' allowance is supposed to help the unemployed live while seeking work. It becomes a whole lot harder to seek work if you have to spend most of your week working. Finding a job is a full time job in itself.

The voluntary work (and this is just my opinion) is far more useful to pretty much everyone than stacking shelves. From this she will gain useful experience to put on her CV while working for a not for profit organisation, while also helping to maintain our history and heritage, which may help to educate the next generation.

A degree in Geology is not "useless". However, she may have to lower her expectations slightly as to what is available. Many people with such degrees end up working in completely unrelated sectors, but the degree helps them to get a foot in the door. A friend of mine did a degree in Film Studies but is now doing very well in advertising.

For the record, I don't think any genuine job seeker should be used as free labour, but that said, there are many many people out there who milk the system for every last penny.

 

[joe-90]

All the jobs go to ready trained foreigners. That is the problem. The solution is simple.

 

[ellal]

there are many many people out there who milk the system for every last penny.

Poundland and Tesco come straight to mind...

Followed by the many companies/individuals that 'milk the system' by avoiding tens of billions in tax!

 

[RonnyRaygun]

there are many many people out there who milk the system for every last penny.

Poundland and Tesco come straight to mind...

Followed by the many companies/individuals that 'milk the system' by avoiding tens of billions in tax!

Absolutely true, and I've got far more sympathy for those who do a bit of work "on the side" than the Amazons, Starbucks, Jimmy Carrs, & Bonos of this world who have more money/profit than they could ever need, yet still choose to effectively steal from the worse off for their own gain.

 

[AronSearle]

slave labour practices!

Work or we withdraw you JSA payments = SLAVERY!

nobody's hiring.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9614120/UK-employment-hits-all-time-high.html

"UK employment hits all-time high"

They're not facts, they're conjecture.

Of course there conjecture, that's all anyone can do, she is hardly going to incriminate herself and say "I didn't bother looking for work" when she is facing a trial and is in the papers.

So the ends justify the means? And what if the means aren't achieving the desired ends? There is very little evidence to suggest that any of these schemes are doing anything useful in terms of reducing unemployment.

It might be an utter failure, but seeming as it's been around for such a short time, of course there is little evidence it's working.

I'd happily bin it if it doesn't work, but just LOL at cries of slavery.

Aron, as others have pointed out, if these people were made to work within the community, for the benefit of the community, then I would not have a problem with it.

It's charities AND businesses.

 

[ellal]

Work for nothing or we withdraw your JSA payments = SLAVERY!

As ever you deliberately miss out the important bit when it drives a bus through your argument...

However, I've corrected it for you...

 

[pred]

All the jobs go to ready trained foreigners. That is the problem. The solution is simple.

Joe you have made a valid point, i thank you for opening my eyes, what you say is true, which brings me to the conclusion that it is too late for UKIP, it'll be too little too late, so i have decided next general election i will vote BNP, thank you Joe, we'll get them out of our land, We shall fight them on the beeches etc.

 

[AronSearle]

Work for nothing or we withdraw your JSA payments = SLAVERY!

As ever you deliberately miss out the important bit when it drives a bus through your argument...

However, I've corrected it for you...

How can you withdraw their payments if they are paid nothing?

Slavery, you are a very funny man!

Community service = SLAVERY

You have to work to pay your council tax = SLAVERY

Jury duty = SLAVERY