Back-to-work scheme breached laws, says Court of Appeal

Back-to-work scheme breached laws, says Court of Appeal

www.bbc.co.uk

The government's back-to-work schemes have suffered a setback after Appeal Court judges agreed with a university graduate's claim that unpaid schemes were legally flawed.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well this is great news considering the orginal court ruling from 2011 - www.guardian.co.uk...

I'm completely against the slave labour programme, please follow the link and read the user comments for peoples general feelings regarding the matter... Currently at work, will comment when I can

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

That’s an insane system - “30 hours unpaid work per week for six months” ? How did the sorry sack of sh!t who dreamt this scheme up remotely consider it to be legal or fair? This is disgusting, really.

reply to post by ObservingYou


About time..

Common sense and moral victory.

C...

The government should just refuse benafit payments then. They are under no obligation to pay them. I will tell you what slave labour is... Going to work and getting taxed to the hilt so that some lazy arse can sit at home and get given money by the government without giving anything back. Im sick and tired of being skint despite working 60 hours a week whilst people sit at home and take my tax money for free.

reply to post by michael1983l


Well you are lucky to be in such a safe job that you don't have to worry about being unemployed. I imagine employees of HMV and Jessops felt pretty safe and resented their taxes going to those on benefits.. I'm sure many of their perspectives may have changed in light of recent developments.

It was hardly slave labour - they were getting all their benefits in return for doing a work placement.

Neither has it been "overturned" in it's entirety but rather specific technicality has been found to be unlawful, which is going to have new regulations brought in to sort out, so this is not the end of the scheme either.

Also, it is worth noting that for the few bad apple stories like this Poundland one, you can find others where it has actually worked quite well. There are comments on the BBC article from owners of businesses where they have used this scheme and they have trained people up and even kept some people on.

Fundamentally, I do not see what is wrong with this - it is just the execution that is flawed. I've long said that people in long term unemployment (6 months +) should do some kind of work in return for their benefits, whether it be in a local store or in the community, just so they can improve their own skills, self-esteem and employability.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for anyone who is long-term unemployed and seeking work is the huge gap on their CV. My own missus has this problem as she had a 5 year gap where she was a stay at home mum. I've had to falsify her CV using my own work history, doctored to fit her and now she is getting job offers left and right.

Originally posted by ObservingYou
I'm completely against the slave labour programme,

Well although I have reservations, I think the fact that work experience is being offered to these work-inexperienced people is actually quite good. Of course, these people do get paid in the sense that they continue with their generous welfare benefits.

As an emplyer, I would always be more interested in people who have tried rather than those who have an empty CV.

Sometimes people need help to help themselves.

Regards

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Only the long term unemployed were put on these programmes. There has to be some sort of deterrant for those intent of living a life on benefits. Like i say i work 60 hours a week and probably do not have anything more than those career benafit takers. Makes me sick. If people lile me just gave up work there wouldnt be any money to pay benafits itis unfair on people like me that these people dont have to do a.ything for their money whilst i have to work every waking hour

unemployed---work program---minimum wage (supplemented with benefits)---working but taxed the hell out of---

Where's the difference??

oh i forgot if your 'lucky' enough to have a job you can lord it over the 'unlucky'

reply to post by michael1983l


There's lots of different issues and ethics to be taken into account...

One pays into the tax system for the opportunity to be supported whilst temp out of work.

Seems fair enough.

Benefits CHEATS will always exist to scam the system, HOWEVER, they are a SEPERATE matter than to those who are, for INSTANCE, a University GRAD, struggling to find work, becuase the GOVERNMENT tossed up the ECONOMY.

She was forced to LEAVE a perfectly suitable VOLUNTRY position, in order to work for FREE at POUNDLAND, a multinational company.

IF these companies are taking FREE LABOUR - then LOGICALLY they have NO NEED to HIRE.

Hence DESTROYING job opportunities....

Dont forget the main people benefiting from these programs are the companies such as A4E, SERCO, EOS, Poundland etc etc...

Blaming the benefits recievers is what the Gov want you to do...Keep arguing you little pawns, Muahahaha....

Originally posted by woodwardjnr
reply to post by michael1983l

 

Well you are lucky to be in such a safe job that you don't have to worry about being unemployed. I imagine employees of HMV and Jessops felt pretty safe and resented their taxes going to those on benefits.. I'm sure many of their perspectives may have changed in light of recent developments.

Well said..

And not to mention the 3000 Barclays staff who have just been told they are now no longer required.

C...

This nation has gone to the dogs!

We cannot fund our social security programs because of the 100,000s of refugees that our own government import! Now the totalitarian Tory scum feel the need implement programs such as this simply to gain greater control over us, remove some more of our freedom!

Simple question, how can people be expected to work for free in a country that has a minimum wage???

reply to post by ObservingYou


In this specific example - the girl being forced to give up her voluntary work in a museum which was more suited to her degree - you are right. It was silly.

However, overall, the scheme has merits because employers do not like people who have huge gaps on the CV - it sends out the message this person is not employable, whether right or wrong. Having something to put on the CV instead of "sat on my arse playing FIFA" is much better, surely?

It also gets the person used to being back in work - take my missus again, she has an interview for a firm in Bagshot, we live in Wokingham. That is a 32 minute train journey with one change @ 0800 in the morning, nothing major. She threw up several reasons NOT to go for the job, including the time she had to get up (which made no sense as she's up anyway with the kids!), the train journey, the cost and also being "too tired".

Lets just say, that having worked from Essex to Wales to Birmingham and having caught trains at 3am to do so, I had no time for that and put her in her place. She is going to the interview and is actually now quite positive about it, once she got over the initial hurdles. These very same thoughts go through the minds of the long term unemployed and defeating that mental barrier is as important as having a glowing CV.

reply to post by Cosmic4life


I cannot say I am that bothered about them - it's that unit they are getting rid of that had a hand to play in the LIBOR scandal and by extension the larger banking problems in our economy. Most of them will have been on very good money and will get very good settlements, even going so far as being redeployed in the company or landing straight back into work somewhere else.

Bad example.

EDIT: It's also worth noting that most of these job losses are in Asia, not the UK.

about time too. slavery belongs in the past. the uk government is a shambles, making up it's policies as it goes along. they're toast.

Originally posted by ObservingYou
Donr forget the main people benefiting from these programs are the companies such as A4E, SERCO, EOS, Poundland etc etc...

On the other side of the coin some of the people on these programmes are benefitting from real work experience. Real work experience makes a difference when you are looking for a job, regardless of whether you have a degree or are a complete thickie.

In my experience, many people with degrees seem to think that the world owes then a well paid job from the word go, even if that degree is in a totally useless subject like Surfing Studies or David Beckham Studies.

Regards

Why dont they just pay the poor souls for the work the do?

Seems fair to me. Even if it is the minimum wage!

reply to post by RoScoLaz



Unfortunately nothing has really changed,big buisness booms,
The working person suffers


The great british way of servitude