kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
|
Post by kayevcee on Aug 31, 2013 0:11:57 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 31, 2013 7:05:04 GMT
I knew about this a year before it came in. No surprise. Expect it to be an election issue.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 1, 2013 19:15:03 GMT
A question for those in the know: How long do ATOS take to process their forms? They've been sitting on my transfer from Incapacity Benefit to ESA for 2 months now with no word. The benefit is still being paid just fine though.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Sept 1, 2013 20:00:44 GMT
That transfer can take several months or a couple of weeks. Seems entirely random.
ATOS do not have anything to do with transferring folk from Incapacity to ESA. The DWP do that. All ATOS do are the medical tests for ESA claimants.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 10, 2013 21:13:09 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Sept 10, 2013 21:44:58 GMT
In my professional experience, folk only use food banks due to benefits issues, not difficulties in managing their money.
-Ralph
|
|
kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
|
Post by kayevcee on Nov 6, 2013 23:01:14 GMT
Speaking of food banks, the BBC managed to squeeze this article on the horrors of Job Centre sanctions past the conservative-fanboys in their upper echelons. Be warned, there is a picture of Ian Duncan Smith in there that may cause you to punch your monitor. -Nick |
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Nov 6, 2013 23:13:06 GMT
How dare people who paid into the system ask for some help when they are looking for work?! How dare they?!
Disgusting stuff. Sooner the Tories are booted out of office the better.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by legios on Nov 7, 2013 20:10:52 GMT
Yeah, read that yesterday. It was the reason I gave a bitter, dry laugh when someone suggested to me that I speak to someone at the Jobcentre for some advice regarding career changing. The world has changed - and when I say changed I mean becoming colder and meaner - somewhat since they last had contact with a Jobcentre.
Karl
|
|
|
|
Post by Bogatan on Nov 7, 2013 20:31:04 GMT
Speaking of food banks, the BBC managed to squeeze this article on the horrors of Job Centre sanctions past the conservative-fanboys in their upper echelons. Be warned, there is a picture of Ian Duncan Smith in there that may cause you to punch your monitor. -Nick My Mum was caught out by this a few months ago. The new requirement are 3 job applications a week. She takes the searches seriously (spends hours online searching and attends various groups, courses and agencies) and and could only find one job in any way suitable. The woman and the job centre who reported her even did a job search to prove Mum hadn't been doing enough but had to admit there was nothing. She still sanctioned her, because it doesn't matter that there are no jobs worth the time and effort of applying for. It's madness you are now expected to waste a huge amount of time applying for jobs you will never ever get or even get an interview for. Which is time that could be spent searching, training or putting extra time into applications that stand a chance of leading to a job. Also all those employers are having to waste time and energy to sift out those applications which must just make the situation worse. If I was being bombarded by effectively spam applications the first thing I'd do is stop advertising on the universal jobmatch which is the likely source of many of them and that will just make the whole system and even bigger waste of time. |
|
|
|
Post by Bogatan on Nov 7, 2013 20:48:17 GMT
Last line of the article says it all.
LIES, LIES, LIES!
Sanctions are the first response now. I know multiple people who have been hit by them those that bother to appeal often get them reversed which wouldn't happen if they were being treated as last resorts.
And its not helped that the power seems to have gone to some advisers heads. Sitting in a job centre waiting you hear the tone of some of them. Everyone is treated as a criminal. I had one appointment were the advisor spent most of the time telling me I shouldn't have been unemployed for as long as I have. His opinion was clear I was lazy and it was my fault. I eventually realised he had not paid any attention to what I had told him at the beginning, that I had suffered an injury causing a period without work, but since recovering I had been in semi regular employment, but had not been able to get over 16 hours a week (often being worse of then if I wasn't working). He then had to back track as everything he had been telling me off about was pretty much irrelevant. So that was a wasted half hour thanks to the advisor predefined expectations of long term claimants.
|
|
kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
|
Post by kayevcee on Nov 8, 2013 0:06:00 GMT
An article in the Guardian from a few months back reported that a lot of Job Centre staff are so keen to bring the hammer down on anyone who doesn't cross a T or dot an i because they're terrified of losing their own jobs and ending up on the other side of the table.
Doesn't excuse their behaviour, but it does help explain how normal people can be driven to such cruelty by fear. You make a very good point about employers being overwhelmed by unsuitable applications. Quantity not quality is a terrible way to deal with unemployment.
-Nick
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Nov 8, 2013 17:38:31 GMT
Welcome to a fascist state. I am so disgusted by the Tories these days that I am even contemplating voting for Scottish Independence just to get away from the bastards: a position I never thought I would hold.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Bogatan on Nov 8, 2013 21:20:21 GMT
The shame is that the basic increase in what is expected of the unemployed isn't a bad thing, nor frankly is some form of sanctions. But it has to be done constructively. Until the changes came in this year I had never once been asked what I had done to look for work, much less show evidence of it. If you weren't interested in finding work they made no effort to force you. Now having to show your daily efforts and a minimum of 3 applications should be a good thing, but not when the first action is sanctions.
If you can't find three, the advisor should do a search there and then (which is what they do now anyway, but in a look how lazy and or stupid you are sort of way) and if something is suitable you apply then and there or do it later and provide proof the next time you sign on. If you do no sanction, if the advisor can't find anything, no sanction. If you refuse the sanction process begins, but even then there should be some kind of appeal process before your benefit is stopped, if you're living week to week you cant suddenly go without 4 weeks money. It should be set for one 4 weeks later, allowing appeal time and preparation time if it fails. And instead of 4 weeks without money, 8 weeks with a 50% reduction or similar would surely be better for most.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Nov 8, 2013 21:24:18 GMT
If anyone fails an ATOS medical, DM me. There are some changes as to appeals, etc and I can provide the current guidance. Big changes (unreported by the media) which will cause further hardship.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 8, 2013 21:36:02 GMT
I'll bare that in mind. 4 months later I've not heard a thing back from them!
|
|
|
|
Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Nov 11, 2013 8:14:52 GMT
I am so disgusted by the Tories these days that I am even contemplating voting for Scottish Independence just to get away from the bastards: a position I never thought I would hold. If you did that I think it would be to the detriment of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as I imagine the Tories will be in power in Westminster a lot more often with the Scottish seats gone. So please stay! Martin |
|
|
|
Post by Fortmax2020 on Nov 11, 2013 9:44:08 GMT
And please don't let the SNP run an independent Scotland! They're not as bad as the Tories for crippling those in need, but they haven't got a flying monkeys when it comes to taxation/spending realism now let alone post-Independence (note this is not a scare story from 'project fear').
We need you chum!
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Nov 15, 2013 12:35:52 GMT
SNP are incompetent twats and are a hopeless one-issue party but at least they are aren't evil. I don't like living under an evil right-wing Government.
In other news and in a sad reflection of our times, the local Sainsburgeries has an appeal to collect items for a nearby food bank.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Dec 7, 2013 16:34:20 GMT
I've come back home to find a letter notifying me of my transfer from Incapacity Benefit to ESA. And sixth months later something finally seems to be happening. My GP has requested I attend on Tuesday as they've been asked for information relating to this and they don't have all the answers! |
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Dec 9, 2013 20:57:14 GMT
/photo/1
|
|
|
|
Post by legios on Dec 9, 2013 21:23:22 GMT
You know, it never seems to matter that I know these numbers. Seeing them written down always makes me angry at the DWP all over again.
Karl
|
|
kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
|
Post by kayevcee on Dec 9, 2013 23:09:31 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Dec 17, 2013 8:46:24 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 20, 2014 12:48:39 GMT
I'm in shock: my transfer from Incapacity Benefit to ESA had been processed without the need for further assessment!
My Doctor was dubious the claim would go through without being turned down. Never needed the dreaded ATOS appointment.
|
|
kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
|
Post by kayevcee on Jan 20, 2014 19:51:35 GMT
Congratulations Phil! May your goalposts remain stationary henceforth.
-Nick
|
|
|
|
Post by Fortmax2020 on Jan 21, 2014 19:01:39 GMT
Great news!
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 17, 2014 20:48:27 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 17, 2014 22:21:48 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Feb 17, 2014 22:30:17 GMT
They got the contract for PIP assessments though. The more things change...
-Ralph
|
|
