AS the vicious Con-Dem cuts continue to hit people across the country it has emerged that Jobcentre staff are now being told they must hit targets and prevent people getting the benefits they are entitled to.
ANOTHER day, another insight into the terrible cost of the Tories’ obsession with persecuting the ill and the disabled.
Across the UK, cuts in welfare will cost disabled people £28billion in lost benefits over the next five years.
And the very worst-off will lose up to £23,000 each over five years, according to figures from think-tank Demos.
By anyone’s standards, this is daylight robbery on some of the most vulnerable people in society. It’s robbing the poor, yet again, to pay for the errors of the rich banking elite who caused the recession in the first place.
We’ve said it before and make no apology for saying it again: How on earth can the Lib Dems actively assist with such regressive policies?
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Jobcentre staff, who are doing their best to get benefit claimants into jobs, are being told by their bosses they must fulfil targets and prevent people getting the benefits they are entitled to.
A leaked email shows staff have been warned by managers that they will be disciplined unless they increase the number of claimants referred to a tougher benefit regime.
Secret league tables could only have been drawn up through information provided by senior managers in the Department for Work and Pensions. And only Government ministers could have sanctioned these moves.
DWP Minister Mark Hoban told MPs that decisions on sanctioning claimants are “based on whether people have breached the agreements they have set out with the jobcentre”.
He said there are “no targets in place”. Really? That’s hard to believe.
But that’s the Tories for you, though. The same old poison – dished out by people so rich they will never have to swallow it themselves.
11 Responses
This is the most damning and disturbing thing I have ever read on this subject;
The Guardian also has a copy of a letter sent by a jobcentre employee last month to their local MP in the west of England: “Not only are there targets, the level of bullying and threats that some staff are under in some offices to sanction claimants is unprecedented,” the letter states.
“As a consequence of the policy it seems that those claimants that do not understand the system … are most likely to have their benefits sanctioned as they are easy targets … there will be suicides over this, mark my words.”
A State of Utter Evil makes my Blood Boil with Rage
It is Not the Poor who are the Scroungers but Westminster Politicians
Shame upon the Evil Scum Brainwashed by Regime Media Propaganda
did one ever believe this lot they have lied lied and lied since being in power and should look out for more of their lies the truth is they don’t do it just like the banksers dwp atos Unum who all got this dreaded disease jeff3
It is high time the Queen was petitioned by the Disability organisations and asked why she allows these bills which are made by the minority and based on media propaganda to go through and into Law when they cause so many deaths and distress . With out a solid statement condemning these acts of cruelty against her own most vulnerable subjects it will indicate the Crown is dictating policies to the Government which would explain the lack of resistance by Parties to allow UN declarations on Human rites to be openly and deliberately broken.
It would not seem unreasonable the if you are made a target then to make a target of those who have done it in return is only self defence . Every Human being has the right under international Law to Life , if the Governments policy denies this rite either directly or indirectly they are guilty of trying to commit Domicide ,domestic Homicide . Any person arrested in connection with defending themselves should then claim to be a political prisoner of a Government breaking international Law.
This evil government is engineering the great possibility of mass civil revolt. I can foresee armed struggle on our streets until this government are overthrown .
Me too. Or at least Tarhir Square style demos.
I saw this FOI and it will be interesting to see their answer:
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
I was recently sanctioned on JSA because I was told I didn’t apply
for every job, some of the jobs I wasn’t qualified for and hence I
didn’t apply for (n.b. I apply for everything now! and should I be
called in for an interview for a job I’m unqualified for, I shall
profusely apologise for wasting their time and will explain why I
have to apply for every job).
I have a tweleve-year-old daughter that I couldn’t feed or send to
school (as I had no food or power to launder her school uniform and
this caused terrible hardship) — all for no reason of my own.
I now realise this was a smoke screen to sanction as many people as
possible to save money, see the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/m…
notwithstanding, the former, I would like to know:
1) if you have been sanctioned for not fault of your own, can you
claim for a loss of income from the decision maker? If not who do
you claim from?
2) How many people are needlessly challenged for “not” looking for
work.
3) what age groups? working abilities (e.g the disabled that have
been found “fit” for work)? Semi illiterate/illiterate? are the
most likely to be sanctioned for no reason of their own
LINK: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/sanction_decisions_2#outgoing-262372
its the bloody targets thats been set..900,00o incapacity benefit genuine claimants were made to disappear as being ‘scroungers who signed off” just to fiddle the unemployment figures.
ALSO SEE THIS FOI!
Questions on WRAG, WFI and sanctions
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
I have a few questions I want to ask, mainly to do with my
situation.
I need some information on the purpose of the disability advisor
when in WRAG, because this is the reply to questions that have been
asked at the WFI and this was their reply:
Do you find me a job? NO, that is your responsibility.
Do you help to find disability “friendly” employers? NO, that is
your responsibility.
Do you provide a list of suitable “work from home” employers NO,
that is your responsibility.
Do you provide opportunities to retrain in a job suitable for my
disability? NO, that is your responsibility.
So my questions are:
1)What is the purpose of WRAG and the WFI when it’s your own
responsibility to find a job?
2)With austerity biting everywhere, why employ these “disability
advisors” at JCP, when it’s the responsibility of the disabled
person to find a job?
3)How many jobs are advertised in the JCP for disabled people? As I
never see any advertised.
4)Why are so many disabled people being coerced into
self-employment? Because there are no jobs for them.
5)The welfare reform 2012 claims and I quote from their web site
‘protecting the most vulnerable in our society’ who are the most
vulnerable? When:
(i)Disabled people with the most horrific physical and or mental
disabilities are found “fit” for work.
(ii)People that appeal against decisions are left waiting for money
for weeks driving some people to suicide.
(iii)Children whose parents have been sanctioned for no reason of
their own on JSA suffer terribly without food and heat for the
home, forcing people out of sheer desperation into begging and or
crime.
(iv)The most vulnerable people on JSA i.e. ill-educated, mentally
ill, etc. are the most targeted for unwarranted sanctions.
(v)People are getting into terrible debts (necessary debts i.e.
energy and water bills), because of unwarranted sanctions and
appeals.
6)If you cannot pay your council tax (or any other similar bill you
legally have to pay) because you’re sanctioned or withheld money
because of an appeal are you liable for the court case and costs
when you have zero income?
7)If someone – out of sheer desperation – steals something (i.e.
food) whilst on sanction or appeal, how culpable is he by law? When
the human rights act article 25 states: (1) Everyone has the right
to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of
himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and
medical care and necessary social services, and the right to
security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances
beyond his control.
8)When claimants are responsible for paying the rent to their
respective landlords, how will this be possible when people on
sanction or appeal have no money? Are they not going to get into
rent arrears through no fault of their own?
9)How long can the DWP keep a claimant i.e first time claim, on
unwarranted sanction or appeal, etc. without money?
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/questions_on_wrag_wfi_and_sancti#outgoing-264036
“hit targets”
http://www.firmmagazine.com/news/3161/Exclusive%3A_Police_%E2%80%9Ccriminalised_people_unnecessarily_to_hit_targets%E2%80%9D_admits_blogger_as_cautions_are_reviewed_.html