Benefit Sanctions are unlawful, cruel, unjust punishments on the poor
Welcome to the Unlawful Sanctions website! This website is dedicated to exposing the unlawful, unfair, cruel and criminally unjust financial punishments on our societys poorest people. Whats more, criminals convicted of benefit fraud are sometimes "punished" by applying the same length sanctions to their current benefit claim (instead of jail) that Joe Bloggs, the typical genuine jobseeker is receiving for arriving late to sign on because the bus was late!
Added 04/2011:The Guardian, Unlawful Sanctions and PCS have received evidence about Jobcentre Plus offices setting targets and unfairly forcing sanctions on the disabled, those who speak English as a second language and by race. This violates the Equality Act 2010. Jobcentre Plus denied this before admitting to it. They have attempted to justify it as a “misunderstanding” and has ensured people that it has been resolved.
Why we care
The aims of Unlawful Sanctions
Unlawful Sanctions is a campaign against the unlawful benefit sanctions claimants receive.
We want to:
- Directly challenge the Government regarding these benefit sanctions
- Make sure benefit fraudsters are jailed or denied benefits instead of imposing pathetic benefit sanctions
- Abolish the unlawful benefit sanctions
So, you were made redundant, lost your job or left your job by other means or left university or other education but couldn’t secure a job … whatever your reason for being a jobseeker, regardless of the message the Government puts out about such people, Jobseekers Allowance is a very low benefit to scrape by while you look for employment. You can’t live on it comfortably in rip off Britain!
The Jobseekers Act 1995 which came into power in 1996 (making it 14 years old) outlawed the something-for-nothing benefit culture. Everytime a jobseeker signs on he or she must specify evidence showing that he or she has attempted to seek work. Jobseekers are obligated to register for any "training" to better their job prospects. Jobseekers are even forced to apply for selected jobs issued by an Employment Officer (EO) in the form of a Jobseekers Direction (JSD).
Jobseekers do not have the ability to free choice of labour – if submitted to a job they are expected to take it – regardless if they have a decent enough reason not to. Jobseekers are also required to attend specific dates as requested in writing to a depressing building called Jobcentre Plus. You can’t be a few minutes late but you could be waiting up to an hour to sign on without even an apology.
So lets get rid of any thought that jobseekers are people happy to live off the "dole" – its way below the poverty line and there are only a handful of people who are happy to remain on the dole. These have the common pattern of going through generations via the same families. This is a corruption in DWP and Jobcentre Plus as although the Jobseekers Act 1995 was designed to outlaw this and prevent people claiming who are not "Actively Seeking Employment" (ASE) for some reason these people rarely have any problems with their benefit claims.
Social Security: a right!
Some people may disagree but Social Security has long been an human right. This doesn’t mean a something-for-nothing culture or that people should be able to claim forever.
As far as Jobseekers Allowance goes, this human right has been layered with a conditional criteria to be able to claim. Again it is a human right, everyone has the ability to make an application for Jobseekers Allowance without restriction (whether its denied is another thing though). Even those caught fiddling the system and had been jailed for benefit fraud is freely able to reclaim after prison (how wrong is that?!)
The concern with the unlawful benefit sanctions is it is a loophole around the human right of social security. When you are sanctioned your claim for Social Security doesn’t end – you just don’t get paid. Your Jobseekers Allowance claim is still active and you are still requested to sign on. To most people like me and you can clearly see and understand that it is the point of benefit: to bring in money when you have none. The second aspect is, all offences resulting in a sanction are applied to your future claim thus again you are not denied Social Security (in the present anyway).
If Jobcentre Plus terminated your benefit claim and banned you from claiming for a set period – this would be against Human Rights (including Human Rights Act 1998 and the European ECHR).
It has not been tried that:
a) stopping a payment for a benefit is as good as terminating your benefit claim
b) preventing payment of a benefit for a set period is no different than banning someone from claiming for a set period
We want to take this argument to court – because it is a scam. If it was a business it would have been closed down but because its the public sector not private sector it seems to have been got away with. Its not the Government who loses, its you the taxpayer always!
A poor "jobseeker" isn’t a jobseeker
Just remember: if a person has no income its almost impossible for them to apply for jobs. This delay into finding employment cost the taxpayer much more than if they were claiming for a shorter period. The longer someone is unemployed the less likely they will secure sustainable employment.
Sanctions are unlawful under the Jobseekers Act 1995
Yes, it is true. The Jobseekers Act 1995 clearly states that Jobseekers Allowance (Contribution based or Income based) is paid in a benefit week. So common sense here: if a person commits a sanctionable offence in one week, how can he lose 2 (or more) weeks benefit? Whether or not the person loses out on that specific week or a future week of an ongoing claim is neither here or there – or so it could be argued.
Now
I have had my JSA sanctioned from 14th April to 6 July. That is a 12 week sanction for not applying for a vacancy at a location that would have taken me over two hours to get to by public transport.
When I was given the vacancy information at the Jobcentre I informed the advisor that I would have difficulty getting to the loction.
JSA regulations on travelling state in para 34442 “A claimant may have good cause (for not applying) if any of the following circumstances apply, 1. the travelling time is normally, 1.1, one hour or more each way where the claimant is in the first 13 weeks of entitlement to JSA.
When I was informed that a decision was going to be made about a “doubt”, I gave information about the travelling time plus additional information relating to my jobseeking.
A topic I would like to discuss is whether the Jobseeker’s Agreement is a two way legal contract between the Jobseeker and the Jobcentre.
During the week that I did not apply for the vacancy above, I did fulil my obligations over and above what was contained in my Jobseeker’s Agreement and I informed the decision maker of this.
It is my argument that if I have fulfilled my obligations under the agreement then I should not be subjected to a sanction that is designed to punish people who are not actively seeking work. And that the Jobcentre are in breach of contract as a result of imposing a sanction that removes my JSA benefit for a period of 12 weeks.
The effect of imposing a sanction that removes a persons only source of income effectively reduces the claimants abilities to actively seek work through independent means. The charity that I now rely on through my friends is for personl living expenses. ow can I expect them to allow me to use their telephone, computer, internet resources when I cannot contribute to their running costs. How can I afford to purchase envelopes, writing paper and stamps. How can I pay for public transport to get me to the local library where I can access newspapers, attend interview, etc. As part of my personal training and development I work voluntarily as a mentor for high school students and have recently been accepted on a mentoring course for the local probation services, how can I now continue to commit to this voluntary work?
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Thank You Ryan
for your positive reply and wonderful support, already I feel my strong comments I posted were worth the effort.
Its no surprise that almost everything you’ve been told by the JS staff I have heard myself and sick of hearing them continue saying the same thing every two weeks, always by a different member of staff too,its beginning to feel like i’ve commited a crime and my punishment is “attend the job center twise a week or be sentenced to three months in the hole!”.
I am so on your side about how difficult it is for you and your children and all your circumstancies, Its criminal how you are treated besides how I feel – totally frustrated and almost ill on what I put up with from all this crap of work focused bla bla, as for “Remploy” (have you been refered to them yet?) They are the biggest pain in the arse ever!, every other day I get phone calls from them telling me a job vacancy is available, great, if I live in Manchester or some other area a million miles away, they dont care if any parent is struggling for support, they will say ” its not their problem, go for the job or refusal will cost you loss of benefits!”, I wont leave my child, so I will do as you did and take her with me, I think bravery is what i lack, from reading your post I see theres nothing to loose, they can take away what they want and we struggle for weeks but I wont put my child in danger for any job or make my child suffer for any reason in work or not, the government make parents feel so small and guilty in so many ways, when really in due course its all going to blow out of control, like now, election day lol lol. Look at the state of the conservative party with so little votes, Cameron will face failure so soon.
I wish he would read all of our comments, campaigning is not enough to get rid, just hope and support from everyone here so far will build up a massive shout of rage enough to be heard loud and clear one day soon.
I will continue job searching and may be something will turn up, hours that work for me around my child, I will continue doing as I’m told (only at the job centre lol) just to keep them happy so I can buy food and clothes for my family, your advice hepled.
Take care, reply anytime
Kris
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David. I went can understand your pompous post even with your clever long words. And may I just say this, in terms that everybody can understand. You sir are a cock!
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David, are you a 16 year old boy doing GCSE politics and economics? Because you sound like it. When you develop some empathy, perhaps by doing some voluntary work as a carer, where you’ll hear mindblowing narratives of gvt dept cockups, or perhaps mentoring very ordinary, long term unemployed people as a come back and we’ll have a chat.
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LOL david. you try so hard to seem intelligent… let me tell you now – being a great mind amounts to a lot more than being an ass hole with a good vocabulary and most people will quickly see through you and your familiarity with the dictionary to the wisdoms you are lacking.
grow a soul man
o/
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I received a sanction letter telling me to give my response within 7 days of the date of the letter which was 4 days ago from when I received it.
It suggested that I write of phone them but without any number or address.
I replied on the back of the form explaining that I had actually applied for the job that they accused me of taking no action on.
I supported it with an attached typed letter explaining how I had gone “way beyond the call of duty” as far as job seeking is concerned as I have had 4 major operations and got myself into debt purely to increase my chances in the job marketplace.
I of course gave this to my advisor asking him to copy it, stamp it and give me a receipt.
4 weeks later the sanction mysteriously disappeared from the system without explanation or retraction letter or a letter with their decision.
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To Everyone, especailly DAVID,
(Firstly, anyone else here reading this post please give thumbs up to David next time he replies because I WANT TO READ HIS CRAP without it being hidden due to poor rating) haha.
David…. Its not your fault you are absent minded about the realistic events of people and their personnal lives, you are lacking true knowledge of real situations and if you read everyones stories properly and took time studying what each person said then you would have no reason to keep your pocket dictionary with you at all times, you would just understand naturally.
Its clear you have a great easy life, very obvious you are not angry or upset about what the government do to young people that are sometimes scared of the big outside world for the first time and without mum or dad guiding their path, yet our government dont care about any of that and will force youths into any kind of job just to get their TAX.
Then its certain you have no common knowledge that a parent with a child as young as seven (soon less than that) is expected to leave her/his child home alone whilst out working, taking into concideration that if your child was thirteen, you would be expected to seek work that was more than 40 hours per week.
If you still object to these statements then feel free to moan, but just class yourself as a cold blooded individual with many disturbed confused thoughts and with that last sentence I need to advise you… to JOG ON !!!
good day
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I’m so grateful for this site which helped me arm myself to face a bullying cow who’s been working up to sanctioning me. I’m qualified to MA level in a useful profession and she insists I apply for cleaning jobs, trying to humiliate me. Of course, I comply totally with everything this beast wants and as she was going over todays paperwork with her fine tooth comb she came across the printout of the ruling with relavant parts highlighted. She signed the paperwork like a ferret down a drainpipe.
The only way unemployed and disabled people can remain sane is by doing exactly what you’re doing: banding together, sharing information, supporting each other. It’s a human trait that has been perverted by gvt depts, and it’s heartwarming to see you doing it the right way.
Many thanks
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Message for Colin
You should not apply for a crisis loan, you should apply for Jobseekers Allowance – Hardship Provision and ask for form JSA10 at your Jobcentre.
When my JSA was sanctioned I asked the Jobcentre for advice on getting money, they told me that I would ot get anything until the sanction eas removed, then suggested that I apply for a crisis payment that I am not entitled to.
I spoke to the Citizen Advice Bureau and it was them who told me about the Hardship Provision.
When I went back to the Jobcentre and asked for the form they gave it me immediately.
The Jobcentre is there to provide you with advice on work and benefits, if you have asked for advice and not received advice then complete a complaints form. This will put the issue in the system. The more complaints they get, the more likely it is that they will stop witholding advice to claimants.
Good Luck
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how can i live with no jsa and cant get crisis loan cos of suspension how wrong is that i have beg borrow and steal to survie i cant carry on gonna die and make sure goverment know it cos off them fuk u david camron when tony blair was in power least u cud get crisis loan now u cant pecks
my head
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My JSA is currently going through the appeal process because I want to appeal against the decision makers decision, but my appeal has not been put forward, because DWP have a pre-appeal process. I have to state my case for appealing to the DWP who can then make a decision as to whether the original decision was correct or not. This process ensures that they do not have a record of losing appeals. Nice one for the DWP, but this means that the time between my request for an appeal and the actual appeal is prolonged so my time without JSA gets closer to the length of the sanction. It’s nice to know that they will give me any back payments owed, but I am living in a now situation with no money and relying on the charity of a friend.
The DWP are in partnership with the DOT (Department of Transport)
DWP use the DOT Transport Direct portal to check travelling times when a claimant states that it would take over one hour to get to a location and the claimant gives this as a legitimate reason to not to apply for a vacancy.
DWP look for “perfect case” scenarios, but DOT give disclaimers stating that they cannot give a guarantee of the accuracy of the information on Transport Direct.
DOT state they provide information about a journey to allow an individual to make “informed, intelligent decisions” about their transport options.
So, if I know that a bus is due to arrive at a bus stop at 0800, should I arrive at the bus stop expecting the bus to be there?
or
Should I make an “informed, intelligent decision” to arrive at the bus stop 5-10 minutes earlier, like any normal rational person?
Should I be aware that the timetable information on a bus stop may contain times from a previous stop because bus companies do not provide information on every stop on the route, therefore I cannot rely on the information at the bus stop being correct?
If there is a connecting service within my route should I take into account that a transfer time of four minutes might be inadequate due to variables that cause delays?
DWP have to prove that DOT Transport Direct information provides information on what would occur “normally” within the terms of the JSA sanctioning rules and regulations.
I wonder how long it will take to realise that I am likely to be successful in my appeal and remove the sanction? I am guessing that it will be around the time that the sanction is also due to end!!
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Message for Colin
You should not apply for a crisis loan, you should apply for Jobseekers Allowance – Hardship Provision and ask for form JSA10 at your Jobcentre.
When my JSA was sanctioned I asked the Jobcentre for advice on getting money, they told me that I would ot get anything until the sanction eas removed, then suggested that I apply for a crisis payment that I am not entitled to.
I spoke to the Citizen Advice Bureau and it was them who told me about the Hardship Provision.
When I went back to the Jobcentre and asked for the form they gave it me immediately.
The Jobcentre is there to provide you with advice on work and benefits, if you have asked for advice and not received advice then complete a complaints form. This will put the issue in the system. The more complaints they get, the more likely it is that they will stop witholding advice to claimants.
Good Luck
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Hello there,
I am a video journalist at the Guardian, and recently did these articles (mentioned elsewhere on this site) and film on the issue of sanctions, and jobcentre staff targets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/apr/01/jobcentres-tricking-people-benefit-sanctions
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/apr/08/jobcentres-benefits-sanctions-targets
I am doing more on this and want to follow up soon. If you are currently sanctioned yourself, or have suggestions as to what in particular I should look at, I would really like to talk to you.
You can contact me in confidence on john.domokos@guardian.co.uk
Thanks v much,
John
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Hi John
All this is about support advice and hopefully change, you as a reporter can make change possible, lets see..
Kris
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Hi all,
anyone know info about sick notes?. Advice from u guys I will appreciate, : )
Kris
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As I get more involved with my appeal against the JSA sanction I become aware of the dirty tricks applied by the Benefit Agency Cheats.
When a Decision Maker sanctions a JSA the claimant has the right to appeal to an independent body, the process appears straightforward, the claimant completes an appeals form stating the reason for the appeal. A claimant’s reasonable expectations would be that the appeals form would be sent to the independent appeals board and a date would be set for the appeal to be heard. But this does not happen!!!
What actually happens is that the Benefit Agency prevents the appeal going to the indepndent body by introducing a “pre-appeal” stage that is not mentioned in the appeals documentation.
If we consider that the Decision Maker sanctions JSA on the basis of information already received from the claimant when the “letter of doubt” is sent out, and the result of the sanction is loss of JSA then we can reasonably assume that the Decision Maker believed that he had sufficient evidence to enforce the sanction. If the Decision Maker had any doubt in making the decision then he should have seeked further clarity from the claimant before sanctioning the JSA.
In introducing the pre-appeal process the Benefit Agency delay the appeal process and prolongs the unreasonable sanction period of the victim of the sanction.
There is a more sinister side to the process. The pre-appeal allowss the Benefit Agency to assess the chances of the victim winning the appeal before the appeal reaches the independent panel. In the event that the Benefit Agency believe that they have made an error and the victim is lkely to win the appeal, they reinstate the JSA. This results in the Benefit Agency rarely losing appeals when going to independent panels. Also, because the victim eventually receives any unpaid JSA and therefore suffers no financial loss there is no opportunity to complain to the ombudsman or any other authority about the administration of the Benefit Agency.
Finally, we live in a society of individualism, every JSA sanction is individualised, what is needed is collectivism where JSA Sanction victims come together with the support of an umbrella body to complain about the sanctioning processes of the Benefit Agency Cheats and force public awareness of the impact on innocent JSA sanction victims.
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Good Morning
I have been claiming JSA for 8 months now and been actively seeking employment. I just finished a one week work trial with a employer which sadly has ended. I have never missed an appointment to see a jobcentre adviser but 3 weeks ago I genuinely forgot to attend the appointment. Now today on the 21/05/11 I get a letter from the jobcentre stating because I missed that appointment I will not be paid on thr 18/05/11 and also won’t be paid from the 25/05/11. I am only human and it was a honest genuine mistake me forgetting this appointment, yes I did have a letter but I missed placed it and I forgot to attend the appointment as there are so many dates that you have to keep track of and I just honestly did forget but now because of that I am being sanctioned and having my money stopped and in the letter they do not even state how long for neither. I am struggling on what bit of money I have to pay bills and so on and I am appalled as this decision is totally unfair on someone who is genuinely looking for work.
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Has anyone that has been referred to Remploy been classed as disabled, when they are not? Find out. Have you had your “In Work Calculation” done by the Disability Alliance?
If so, the reason is here. From the wiki… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remploy...
“Remploy Ltd provides various products and services through ‘Enterprise Businesses’. If a United Kingdom public body procures these products or services from a Remploy business, they are permitted to take advantage of the 2006 Public Contracts Regulations (Regulation 7)[1]. These Regulations restrict the tendering process for goods or services to supported businesses only. Supported businesses are defined as those where over 50% of employees are disabled[2].”
Does this sound like a scam? The DWP refers able-bodied long-term unemployed to Remploy as disabled, which means that, should the Remploy client list reach 50% or more, they are eligible for more Govt. contracts.
Am I reading this right?
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Hi Anony Mouse.
Many are familliar about “Remploy”, I would never understand their law rights and rules etc.. but I know they are a scheme through the government, non profitable too.
They are also the worse thing to have in your life, if they tell you a vacancy is avaialable, for example – Tesco, they expect you to apply and attend any interviews, one catch.. these so call vacancies Remploy dig out..are usually in some other town or city!! Which means a day trip just to attend a 20 minute waist of time interview, dont forget anyone with young children at home STILL have to attend that 20 minute interview over the other side of Britain somewhere, or whats the threat guys??…yep..you’ll be sanctioned!!
I know quite a few people, each have a good story to tell almost lol, but recently I get more not so good stories, such as one mate of mine has been sanctioned indefinitely for refusing some training thing (a little bit like Remploy) so he’s almost homeless and is now telling me he is on the hunt to crash out at friends when he looses his home.
I think he is silly in some ways but definitley a victim to threat in this case. so this reply to you is a call for action like the rest, I will be contacting other posts, meanwhile, take care.
Kris
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i just have a bit of infomation evrey one may like
privateoffice@no10.x.gsi.gov.uk
david camrons email adress
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Hi Chris.
You say you have info,
I’m all ears lol
It better be good too HEHE…
Firstly..How can that web address work?
Kris
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HI ALL!!
I have no good news to report just crap, the wonderful steps of focussing people back into a work program now includes letters sent to you reminding you that you have to answer your phone if Remploy try contacting you or any other work thing tries contacting you, we have to answer the phone!! or we will be – ” breaking agreement” bla bla stuff! lol
So sorry I was in the bath or sooo sorry I HAD NO CREDIT ON MY PHONE to call back having missed the call!! But Its great to know I was breaking some agreement thing when I recently opened my post. Its wrong very wrong..
Leave me alone.
I dont need some government remploy thing telling me to answer the phone whether i am taking a shit or just missing the call!! i am quite capable of finding my own job when I see fit and when I know it will work round my hours to fit round my kids out or in of school times, so what ever comes next only time will tell.
well, got that of mi chest,
You mums and dads out there just try answer the phone lol.
take care
Kris
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lol Kris You are not the only one
– “You have to be contactable as part of the agreement otherwise we will put you forward for a sanction”. That is what I was told too when I didn’t answer the phone. Am I supposed to take my ‘phone into the shower?
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Just true there are reasons to disagree with what happened in London, Brummy, Manc and LPool, but understanding why it happenend Im sure some might agree, yet unfortunate to some having lost businesses and lives its without a doubt the worst thing anyone faced at the time and I have no power to speak over those who suffered.
What I want to say is – What a mess the government make!, if it was possible to bag up the shyt they have created I would send them a crew of bin men to help clean up their mess, Cameron would probably piss off on holiday again lol.
Kids in our society are bored, alone, confused, let down, why?.. Theres nothing to be proud of in this country, their parents are not 100% able to be there for their kids anymore – got to go work or will be sanctioned!!, therefore kids are alone and confused, let down by the government with no where to go and nothing to do.
If a single parent has a child at the age of thirteen, for example, that parent has to seek work and if successful work 40 hours per week or more, if unsucessful, have good reasons to not find work or face sanction of benefits.
Ok, a parent has been sanctioned, no money end of. Their child (thirteen plus) finds life very different all of a sudden, what will happen next?.
Ok, a parent has found work (least wont get sanctioned) money coming in, great. Their child (thirteen plus) finds life fab! but no Mum or Dad or near by family to keep close eye on the thirteen year old, therefore, what will happen next?.
Anyone that is blessed with support from family and friends to offer help looking after your child whilst having to go work somewhere are lucky, but there are also families out there that do not have the lovely support from families and friends, due to family living miles away or friends busy theirselves anyway.
So, when I say kids are bored, etc.. is any wonder why our kids get naughty, they say
“cause they can”
enough said.
Cameron needs to GO.
K
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I have a letter dated 20th May 2011 from the Benefit Centre.
Selective quotes
“We have looked at your claim again following a recent change”
“We have now decided that this doubt no longer exists”
JSA has been re-instated and arrears are due to be paid into my account.
I have a letter from Jobcentre Plus Customer Compliance; a “Notification of a Visit”
I quote
“Where there is doubt about whether the conditions for entitlement are met, we can suspend payment of your benefit”
So, someone is employed by the DWP to make a 50 mile round trip to visit the property of my friend so that he can establish whether I am actually sleeping on a bed settee in the living room of the premises rather than sharing a bed with my friend and therefore in a relationship with her. I wonder how he is going to ascertain the facts!!! I will need to produce utility bills that I do not have and a rent agreement that I do not have because I am “staying with a friend”.
Having already won one round of incorrect sanctioning I am preparing for battle to win the next round.
Here is an interesting fact. The visit coincides with the next date that I am due to attend the Jobcentre. If I don’t attend the Jobcentre my JSA could be sanctioned and if I am not available for the visit my JSA could be sanctioned. Having received the letter about the visit, I have attempted to contact the Customer Compliance Officer to inform him that I am not available. He has moved office, so the address and telephone number on the letter are incorrect!!!
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Hi people thanks for setting up this website
i have been unemployed nearly a year now and have just had my jobsearch questoned for the second time. the first time they stopped my benefits and after i wrote them a letter in the appeals process they overturned there decsion without even an apology or any real reason. copied and pasted here for your amusement
This is my full response to the appeals process.
I attended my sign on date on the 5th of October and was given the information on a job possibility to which I was to apply.
The next day on the evening of the 6th as I was about to send off my application I realised that the closing date for applications was on the 9th and realising that I might miss out on this opportunity if I was to mail my resume to the provided address, thankfully there was a telephone number provided on the information sheet for enquiries etc
I therefore rang up and inquired about the position and to find out if it would be possible to email my resume directly to the employer therefore ensuring that I would not miss the closing date.
Furthermore I personally always like to have a chat with the employer, I find a quick conversation with the employer sometimes helps to get your foot in the door or at the very least it helps to add a personal touch and keeps you in the minds of the employer as they sort through the resume’s.
If the benefit of ringing first about a job before applying is beyond your understanding then maybe you should not put telephone numbers and contact details on the information forms not to mention ask yourselves some serious questions about what is the best way to find a job,
I therefore proceeded to ring the number provided and asked for miss Joanne Champney, During this conversation I was asked for my name , national insurance number, and date of birth and the job reference to which I was applying.
The lady I was speaking to told me that applications had already closed for that position and that it was too late to send in my application.
I have no idea why your member of staff did not keep a record of my inquiry regarding the position that I tried to apply for, but in my experience this is perfectly normal for jobcentre staff not to make notes / give correct contact details / issue job prospects before the closing dates etc, I therefore have to admit I thought nothing of it.
I then received a letter on the 25 of November asking why I had not applied for the vacancy, I therefore rang up the north shields jobcentre asking for Joanne Champney hoping to clarify why after having spoken to her or one of her colleagues this letter had been sent ?
I spoke to a lady called Dane or Dana SCOTT who told me just to reply to your letter as this was just a standard enquiry and that she remembered something about the vacancy at micromarkt being closed early due to the amount of responses.
I therefore replied explaining this and heard nothing again until when I was signing on and was told that my benefits had been stopped on the 25/01/10.
During this process I was then shown the 6 questions that were apparently the reason for my benefit being stopped,
Supposedly you were obligated to send me these questions in writing within a reasonable amount of time to allow me my right of reply!! Something you failed to do on both counts!!
As to the questions:
Questions 1 and 3 had already been answered by my original response/ reply
Question 5 who is Dave Scott both I and the jobcentre employee’s reading my original letter could only shake heads as to why the person reading the letter saw the N as a V Dave instead of Dane??
Question 6 was also answered within the context of the letter that applications were no longer being accepted hence verified.
After filling in the forms we ticked the box asking for a written explanation to which you have not replied??
I have also rang and asked when I would be receiving this and was told the usual response of (it will be on the way; sorry but we ourselves at the jobcentre have no contact number with which to enquire??
As you have not even bothered to respond to me in writing either to allow me my right of response or stating the reasons for my benefits being stopped, Even though I have tried repeatedly to get a fair and honest response, phone calls, inquires Ticking boxes entitling me to the reasons in writing as promised.
Here are my questions:
1, did the person dealing with this enquiry even bother to read my letter properly or were they too focused on meeting their monthly quote?
2, did this person even bother to look or ring north shields and ask for Dane/Dana Scott?
3, did this person even bother to check when applications for the position were closed??
3, why did it take 8 weeks for any other questions to be raised and why was I told in December by jobcentre staff that the enquiry was closed??
4, why was I not send and allowed to respond to the 6 questions before my benefit was stopped?
5, where is my written response stating the reasons of your doubts regarding my application to micromarkt as you were legally obligated to send me??
6,Am I to understand that in future when speaking to jobcentreplus staff there word, information, and guidance is not to be trusted?
7, that in future should I be told that a job vacancy is no longer available that I should not trust your staff and apply regardless?
8, that in future when ringing the jobcentre telephone number I should start recording the conversations so as to have prove when 2 months later you call my honesty and integrity into question?
Yours sincerely looking forward to a fair and accountable response before approaching my mep
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5 days ago i received the second one and to be honest i think i am being set up and could use some advice it starts with an inquirie regarding why i have not aplied to a job opportunity that i was offered for a company called john lilie and gillie etc etc but without a copy of the job offer i was originally given to which i sent this reply :
Dear sir/Madam,
Firstly I did not fail to take advantage of any job opportunity nor did I refuse any!
I have looked through my notes and documentation and cannot find any job relating to a company called John Lilley & Gillie ltd, however I am pretty sure judging by the job description and date, that you are referring to 1 of 2 job opportunities that I have applied for!!
Number 1, was given to me on my signing day, this job opportunity Did not state the company name but instead asked me to send a copy of my resume and cover letter directly to the north shields job centre plus!! The job title is correct but the hours per week are wrong and the wage is wrong, these discrepancies and lack of information provided by you leave a question mark in my mind as to whether this is the job opportunity you are referring to?
Could you please clarify is this is the job opportunity that you are questioning?
Number 2, was an advertisement from the reed website for a similar role, job title, wage and hours are correct but there was no company name on the advert.
Or please clarify if this is the job opportunity that you are questioning?
I can however confirm that I did apply to both jobs!
In writing including resume and cover letter to north shields job centre plus and also per email to the reed website
And to date I have received no reply from either one of the above mentioned job opportunities.
yes you guessed it its joanne champney again
ok today i recieved another letter this time from sunderland lm dma sector office ?? not sure why its coming from there asking me to reply to this questioneer regardless of any other letters i might have recieved ?
It states
you were given the details about a warehouse controllers ob with john lillie
and gillie ltd during a face to face interview on 4.3.11(copy attached). you have explained tha you are not sure which vacancy you have been asked about , and therefore unsue as to what information is wanted. i would be grateful if you would providete following information.
1, did you apply for the warehouse controler vacancy?
2, if you did apply : on what date did you sond in your cv/application
3, if you obtained proof of posting please provide a copy.
4, you agreed to keep a written record of all your jobsearch activities
please provide a copy ofthat recond from 1.3.11 to date
Now obviously i was right and it was the first job opportunity that i mentioned in my first response which also pretty much answers questions 1 to 3 but its question 4 that bothers me
its asking me to list every job and activity that i have done over a 3 month period before and after the job they are querstioning me about ??
i realy think this is a trap and not sure what to make of it i can supply the info with relative ease but it does seem to be a very dodgy request!!
any advice would be helpful as to what to do
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ow i forgot to mention it was signed by 3 members of staff
one in print = joe kelly
one set of initials PP
and one in handwriting R andrews
please forgive speeling mistakes i was rushing my typing
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a simple way to cut through all the red tape and bullshit, if you get sanctioned by these sacks of shite, turn up the next time with a claw hammer in your jacket/bag..find the cunt that caused the sanction and cave there fucking skull in!! this goody goody follow the rules bullshit gets you knowwhere, these fucks only understand one thing….pain!!!!
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i agree
im 21 and a pretty big lad 6’3
people look down their noses at me like im a chav but honestly am the nicest person youll meet if you stay on the right side of me
ive learned that when i have young female advisors, i get duped (my own stupidity)
but when i get male advisors i get really loud and angry and start wackin my fists on the desk and it “seems” to get me my way
I still leave there with the result I wanted and NOT what they tried to trick/blag/force me into
I’m VERY VERY VERY lucky I’ve got SOME savings to fall on
I feel for all of ya , young old rich poor
Everyones gettin milked by the SUPER rich (millionaires and billionaire sitting in Parliament who alter the laws to make THEM MORE MONEY)
Stop eating GM food (brain damage)
Stop drinking tap water (sodium flouride – an elemant in rat poison, NOT to be confused with calcium flouride, naturally occuring, good for teeth)
Stop eating MSG, or Aspartme
The Nazi scientists have done well to put their mind-control poison in their foods
It’s why SO MANY PEOPLE are “ok” with the way the system is
THEY CAN’T SEE NOTHING WRONG
DRIVES
ME
UP
THE
FUCKIN
WALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I gave you a tick for your good comments lol, but I really need to ask wot the fuck u on-about after u mentioned how lucky u was??
No-one or anyone is being “milked” as you put it, We’re better educated than them, difference is the gov and parliament are stuck up snobs, us lot here are educated normal people that has to fight life rather than live it.
Sometime words are best left un-said, other times are reasons why we can type anything we want to right here,
For now. But then when the stuck up snobs realise they never knew what they went on about, us normal people (with or without money) will stand out in the crowd.
Kris
—
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Brian, you are not wrong my friend. A word of advice though. A few days surveillance as your ‘enemy’ leaves the JCP+ building and gets into their car, follow the car home to find their ‘residence’. If this costs you I reckon it is well worth it. Allow a couple of weeks to pass, then execute a plan that will make the no-good gov. stooge piece of shit rue the day they were born. Take the fight to THEIR home and cost them ten times the pain, stress, heartache and inconvinience they took delight in costing you. Make damn sure you are unidentifiable. And you will still retain your basic freedom. Maybe the individual will never again look down their nose at the less fortunate in society, and it will provide an excellent example to all the other little jobsworths too.
If they cost you – times the cost by ten (or twenty) and take it out on THEM and/or THEIR property. People are suicideing themselves all over the country coz of these scum. Cost them and cost the government. They want to start a war – give em one !!!
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