Flamin' Recession!

[Dovorian]

Well, I have joined the vast numbers without a job due to the recession - bad enough but I thought I'd just use it as an opportunity (forever an optimist but also a marketing person!!!).

The huge shock for me was the need to register as 'unemployed'. Although I did not expect to receive any cash from th Government, I was told that I must do this to maintain NI credits. OK fine - I did most of th 'stuff' online, then I received a call from a central office to confirm a few details - fine too, The following call was to request my attendance at a specified date/time, that was fine too. Then I got another call (2 hours before the meeting time) to inform me that I needed to be there within an hour as I was "one of many" and appointments had to be rescheduled for that day and that if I was unable toi atend that could affect my 'claim'. Initial outrage at such an attitude gave way to a polite and practical argument - I live in a rural area and gave the keys of my car back to my employer, aside from my horse I had not immediate transport at such short notice! So what! It was suggested that I took a train (nearest station a good 40 mins away if I could jog the lot!!)

What have we become, those of us who do get a but 'stuck' are treated as though we have done wrong and should be ordered about like naughty schoolchildren.

I am sure that I am not the only person on this forum is similar situation, whilst we may be been flaming lucky to have good salaries, pensions, cars etc. in the past, change happens. But do we need this type of Gvt organisation teling us that we are (effectively) just a number?

 

[KatB]

Completely agree, it is a joke, yet they fall over themselves to help people who have never contributed the the countries economy at all

I have been "unemployed" once, and they dillied for so long I didnt even get a penny from them as was in work again within 2 weeks!! Arghhh!!

 

[bhpride]

I symphatise with you

My oh has thankfully escaped 2 loads of redundancies but they cut his hours (car industry). As a result we've got to move out of our house next week into a much much smaller one

We're screwed if we don't. My jobs safe but not well paid enough to keep supporting him and stay in the house we're in. Absoutely crap.

 

[LankyDoodle]

[ QUOTE ]
Completely agree, it is a joke, yet they fall over themselves to help people who have never contributed the the countries economy at all

I have been "unemployed" once, and they dillied for so long I didnt even get a penny from them as was in work again within 2 weeks!! Arghhh!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think they are actually like they are BECAUSE of the great number of unemployed (and unwilling) that come through their doors. They tarr every person with the same brush.

 

[alison_oliver]

My OH was made redundant 9 weeks ago.
His claim was dealt with much in the same way as yours rude staff, hold ups, unreasonable demands, meetings cancelled etc etc! I got him a job in my warehouse at work as a temp measure as i too cannot support us both but we couldn't even downsize house..
Its crap that he has paid into the system for 15 years and then because i am earning (not a lot) we dont get any help with bills/mortgage NOTHING!!
Its taken them 9 weeks to release his claim for the fact that when he got his 4 weeks redundancy pay (yes thats all he got!!) they taxed him over 40% on it and it wasn't a lot to begin with! He's just been given a total of £120 to compensate this... GRRRRR!!
I'm emigrating.. anyone coming with me??? x

 

[bhpride]

Mad isn't it. My oh's brother and gf are on the dole with a baby. Gf always boasting about the 'posh' things she's bought, asking if I'm jealous etc etc, their tv is better than ours.

If I didn't have a sense of humour I'd go INSANE lol

 

[Gooby]

Its stupid!!! My OH was made redundant in march but because he attends university 1 day a week this makes him unsuitable for employment and so hes been fighting with the job centre for almost 2 months to be able to claim for job seekers which they refuse to pay him even though now he is finished at uni now for almost 4 months! He has been working and studying 1 day a week since he left school almost 5 years ago now and has always paid his taxes and done everything above board. Its so infuriating!

 

[Donkeymad]

I'm not even going there with the disgraceful way my husband was treated, and he received nothing despite having worked full time for twenty years. My twin has never worked a day in her life, and has everything from living on benefits.

 

[gails]

It seems to me that the honest poeple get nothing, and those that have no intention of getting a job live in relative luxery.

Ihad the same probelm a few years ago, the job centre told me I did not have a claim as I was made redundant, I got a little stroppy and advised that I had paid my taxes to allow me to be looked after for a few weeks, they gave in.

 

[Shellby27]

My friend and I worked out that "a girl we know" takes home more money a week in benefits than we both do together! We have both worked full time since we left college and not claimed a penny. Our so called friend rakes in child support for her 3 one night stand children (from different fathers), income support, free new build flat, plus all bills payed. It drives us crazy!!!!! My father in law is registered disabled with a broken back and has just had his incapcity benefit cut due to receiving a work pension from a company he worked for 40 years straight!!!!! Apparently him and his wife can live on £130 a week!!!! What a joke! Council tax is almost that a week!!

 

[Araminta]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not even going there with the disgraceful way my husband was treated, and he received nothing despite having worked full time for twenty years. My twin has never worked a day in her life, and has everything from living on benefits.

[/ QUOTE ]

My sister and oh and 3 kids live off the state - he has never had a job since leaving school!

They have a 3 bed house, 1 landrover discovery, 1 shogun, 1 caravan, 1 boat, 1 motorbike, 2 horses. 1 ivor williams trailer, huge widescreen on the wall telly and all the gadgets you can think of.

She is now moaning that she will probably have to have another couple of kids to keep the money rolling in!
and he just laughs at us struggling to pay our way and calls us mugs.

Maybe we are, but I can hold my head up and sleep at night.

 

[bhpride]

It's not just that though, it's about being a good role model to your children

. I've always said if I had kids I'd want them to see me working like I saw my dad everyday..

Despite the benefits crap, a good career doing something you enjoy is great and rewarding and that's what I'd want for any future kids rather than being stuck in a job they hate (or no job for that matter)

Won't be a good example if both me and oh were on the dole lol

It's not all bad

 

[NeilM]

My OH taught for five years in a school where a proportion of the kids came from 'non-aspirational' families. You try persuading a child they need to study for GCSE to get a job, when nobody they know has ever worked.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Completely agree, NeilM. It's cyclical, and quite frightening really; although there are schemes in place to change the attitudes of these kinds of young people.

bhpride, I'm in a job I hate, but the example I'd like to set to my children is that yes, it is important to work and earn an honest living; but it is also important to stick with things if there is nothing else. I guess what I mean is: it's better to be employed, if you can stomach the job enough, and there are lots of people out there, like the OP, losing their jobs. Not sure how long I will stick at mine, though!