Work for Your Benefit scheme axed!
Posted by Work Programme | Posted in a4e, Avanta, Campaigns for Unemployed, Community Service, ConDem, ConDem(n) Government, Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is a joke, dencora house, DWP, European Convention on Human Rights is a joke, Flexible New Deal, Government, Ipswich, jobcentre Plus, Jobseeker Directions, jobseekers allowance sanction regime, Mandatory Work Related Activity, Reed in Partnership, servitude, TNG, unemployment, verbal jobseeker directions, Welfare Reform, Welfare State, Work For Benefit, work for your benefit, Work Programme, Workfare, YMCA Training | Posted on 31-08-2010
Tags: Ipswich Unemployed Action, Unemployment, Welfare, Workfare
Work for Your Benefit scheme axed!
Ipswich Unemployed Action can officially report (after the Government has confirmed this within the last week) that the Work for Your Benefit scheme pilots have been scrapped by Government, however, the ConDem(n) Government will be introducing fulltime community [service] activity in the new Work Programme designed to keep longterm unemployed people in the routine and discipline of work. I would comment its too much too late.
I have always said that the Work Programme appeared to be a mix of Flexible New Deal and the Work for Your Benefit (pilot) scheme… which the outlooks seems to be confirm that it will exactly be this. Perhaps, first half of the Work Programme will be like Flexible New Deal and the other half 6 months of fulltime Community Service like activity or it could be mixed – whereas on Flexible New Deal you have the Mandatory Work Related Activity period which can be taken anytime in the 12 months as long as it can be completed; flexibility could be written in requiring Community Service activity to be started earlier. It would actually be a better way of organising resources by dividing the numbers instead of having hundreds of people starting at once.
This will become an extreme concern as unlike with the planned pilots where the person would have to be signing on for 6-12 months and do 12 months on Flexible New Deal before being referred to such pilots (i.e. up to 2 years)… ConDem(n) Government is planning of fast tracking everyone before 6 months of their claim, thus if plans happen as speculated within 12 months people will be undertaking fulltime Community Service work.
The lack of logic why the ConDem(n) Government didn’t allow the pilots to go ahead is clear. Firstly, it would jeopardise the latter Work Programme when it is discovered that the pilots were unsuccessful. Secondly, as a separate scheme, enrollment would have to be left until Work Programme ended…. thus 6 months unemployment + 12 months duration of scheme (?) … would leave 18 months before people have to do such work. Statistically, most claimants (no indication on who is unique or repeat claims) sign off before 6 months (or so was the case before Credit Crunch). Combining it into one scheme requires the unemployed to participate at least 6 months earlier – thus more people are affected… although ConDem(n) had hinted that they might fast track people near day one of their claim… which means less time before fulltime Community Service.
It is currently unknown whether the ConDem(n) Government will be influenced by Labours proposed (made law for the pilots before it was axed) Sanctions Regime including verbal Jobseeker Directions.
Feel free to discuss. At current it is a minor victory for the unemployed in these pilot areas, however, the ConDem(n) Government is planning worse things ahead. Elsewhere, Flexible New Deal providers are still not contacting Flexible New Deal participants… leaving them without support, although the Flexible New Deal providers have heavily profited from a top heavy service fee. I am aware of many cases of this. Anyone else parked by their Provider?
