Cait Reilly
Enraged down at the bunker:
Ministers are to order a major crackdown on the workshy by extending back-to-work schemes despite judges deciding that the rules behind the programmes are unlawful.
By Peter Dominiczak and Robert Winnett
11:00PM GMT 12 Feb 2013
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is said to have been left “frustrated” after Cait Reilly, a university graduate, won a Court of Appeal claim that requiring her to work for free at a Poundland discount store was unlawful.
Senior Government sources have labelled the court’s decision as “odd” and said they want to toughen up the rules despite the criticism from the judiciary.
Ministers are now expected to in the coming weeks outline plans to extend the use of sanctions and mandatory work for the unemployed.
Miss Reilly, 24, from Birmingham, and Jamieson Wilson, a 40-year-old unemployed HGV driver from Nottingham, both succeeded in their claims that the unpaid schemes were legally flawed.
Three judges ruled that the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) had acted unlawfully by not telling unemployed people enough about the penalties they faced if they refused to take part in the compulsory work programmes.
However, the judges conceded that the programmes do not breach people’s human rights.
The Government expressed “disappointment and surprise” at the decision but immediately introduced new regulations to ensure that the work schemes can continue despite the ruling.
Officials are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision.
Miss Reilly’s solicitor claimed that the ruling meant that thousands of unemployed people who have had their jobseekers’ allowance withdrawn for non-compliance with the back-to-work schemes could now be entitled to reclaim their benefits.
A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said they have “no intention of giving back money to anyone who has had their benefits removed because they refused to take getting into work seriously”.
Miss Reilly had been claiming jobseekers’ benefits since 2011 after she failed to find work after graduating in 2010.
In November 2011, she had to leave her voluntary work at a local museum and work unpaid at the Poundland store in Kings Heath, Birmingham, under a scheme known as the “sector-based work academy”.
She was told that if she did not carry out the work placement she would lose her jobseeker’s allowance.
Miss Reilly complained that she was made to work at the budget retail store and complete “menial tasks” such as sweeping the floors and stocking shelves.
Mr Wilson, a qualified mechanic, was told that he had to work unpaid, cleaning furniture for 30 hours a week for six months, under a scheme known as the Community Action Programme.
He refused to participate and as a result was stripped of his jobseeker’s allowance for six months.
After the ruling Public Interest Lawyers, who represent Ms Reilly and Mr Wilson, said the Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision was a “huge setback” for the DWP.
However, a senior Government source said ministers will press ahead with the work programmes.
“We want to increase the use of mandatory activity and sanctions for the unemployed as the schemes work,”
the source said.
“We are studying where the schemes can be extended and will make an announcement within weeks.
“The short, sharp shock is usually enough to get the work-shy back into employment so the plan is to extend the practice, not retreat in the wake of this odd court decision.”
Miss Reilly said she was “delighted” with the judgement.
CHARMING! SO FULL OF PENAL ADJECTIVES!
TIME WE PENALISED THEM!
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27 Responses
If we said ‘all politicians stink’ that would be unfair. So why call all the people who do not do a paid job ‘workshy’? Arbeitsscheu – a word used by Hitler and his cronies…
Why don’t the government take their job seriously by providing social homes, jobs that pay a living wage ect for the people and the infrastructure to support the population which grows ever larger instead of closing hospitals/schools down, outsourcing public services to the private profit margin sector filling their own greedy pockets and then turn around and try too blame us for their failings.
The big extension already due is forcing people who work part time to top up hours with workfare if they can;’t find extra hours, has been on cards a while
If firms can provide work for people with no pay I am sure the work is there for pay.Kick a person whilst they are down seems to be the Tory motto
Indeed. At the last election, they said they had ‘changed’. Now we see the reality that they haven’t. Infact, they are ‘nastier’ than they have ever been.
Having watched enough of Parliament proceedings live on TV, I think it’s about time we clamped down on all the workshy MPs who are absent from the Houses of Commons.
You need only glance at the screen most days to be able to say there are less than 25 people in the chamber in total, and that’s on both sides.
It would appear that IDS really does think he is God and above the law roll on his trial then he will also have to get a proper job. All ministers are there because they are workshy and incapable of real work
Judging from all their half-baked (and that’s an over-statement), they’re sitting in the clubroom, drinking and pulling idiotic schemes from the hat.
People are not workshy, there is a SHORTAGE of jobs and workfare will be the end of paid employment. Might be the end of businesses too…benefit recipients can barely make ends meet as it is, so clothing stores, furniture, electrical or (insert business of choice) will eventually fold too. Even the millions Atos get will find its way to France, and just how much toilet paper can a4e use in a day?
Time t p***off nick, Dave, gideon, Ian et al, and don’t bother coming back.
WE should ALL WRITE to our MPs and ask them if they recieve ‘BENEFITS’ of any kind, and if they wrie back and say NO, why don’t we get together and bring a class action law suit aganst them for ‘FRAUD’, as they do get benefits in the form of parliamentry EXPENSES.. eg they BENEFIT FROM THEM……………….
google your MPs name and find out, you will find they do benefit from their expenses……
I REST MY CASE YOUR HONOUR… gavel bangs=GUILTY. take him down…..
I’ve just watched a parliamentry debate, and two ministers stood out, namely John McDonnell(good guy) he said that people on jsa/esa wrag will only get 1% eg=71p rise. and that millionairs will ger a tax break of £2000 per week.(i really belive he wants to do right by us/dissabled/poor). Russell Brown MP (labour for Dumfries and Galloway) helped him hit the nail home by saying that for every million pound spent in the local economy by those on benefits, 40 jobs are created..which goes to prove that the more the conservatives/libdems hit the poorest in society the more the local economy suffers, eg more shops shut more joblosses more unemployment……..at one point IDS turns up and starts jeering, (what a silly little boy he is, i think i saw his nanny in the wings ready to send him to bed with NO SUPPER, and a glowing botty again)……there are some good MPs out there but sadly not enough.. I’ll be writing to John McDonnell comending him for his outstanding and heartfelt speach. ( trust me when i say i KNOW if someone is fibbing, HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH..) my instinct is never wrong….I appause those two ministers..well done for speaking your minds…
ps, sorry for the spelling mistakes, i’m in a bit of a daze, my meds are kicking in, (whooo hooo) bed for me I think. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Those people who are working these schemes are NOT unemployed… they are WORKING… They just want to be Paid!!! Make MINISTERS work for nothing, then call them workshy when they complain.
According to figures released from the Smith Institute, only4% of our MPs ever did a manual job….
This speaks volumes…..
Its easy to call the unemployed “workshy and idle” when they have never taken part themselves….
The heaviest thing those arseholes have ever had in their hands is a biro and an expenses form….
……and as for the shitbag, IDS, his initials sound like some form of disease. In reality he is a scared little man with no friends who keeps looking behind him…
He derives his pleasure by acting big, with an inner reality of feelings of futility, a washout.
A runt who is nothing more than a despicable c***.
I don’t know if anyone watched the debate in the commons yesterday evening (not a lot of MPs there) three MPs stood out (re their speaches) John McDonnell MP, Russell Brown MP and anotherone who’s name i cant remember, but russell brown(labour, Dumfries & Galloway) said that for every million pounds spent in the local community by those on benefits/low pay etc 40 jobs are created. The female MP said what was being done to the poor and disabled was EGREGIOUS (it means= flagrant; conspicuosly bad or offencive)..John McDonnell hit the nail on the head with his speach he explained to other MPs that the 1% rise on JSA would be just 71p and that millionairs get a £2000 per week tax break, he went on to say what the rises would be for those on ESA etc thats when Russell brown spoke and the female minister. to be honest with yopu i think that a lot of MPs have been hoodwinked by others or trully do not understand whats really happening, but a lot of them are starting to wake up and smell the coffee so to speak….
sorry Geoff went off on a tangent there, what i ment to say was that IDS is well known in diabled circles as a sexually transmited ‘DISEASE’ eg= he scr##s us and we get it:(
eg= poorer, poor health, no heating, no food etc…
Does it remind you of anyone from 1935 onwards, a bit of a hint= he lived in germany!
Anyway back to the debate in the commons , gues who turned up right at the end to cast his vote? yes that diseased little twonk, IDS, he sat there and jeered the other ministers while they were trying to speak, even though he didn’t bother to turn up to answer questions during the debate, he just turned up to vote for the yes side,, what a spoilt little #@*&##*………
The shitbag shouldn’t be *allowed* to breeze in at the end to vote on a subject he avoided on purpose.
“Ministers are to order a major crackdown on the workshy by extending back-to-work schemes despite judges deciding that the rules behind the programmes are unlawful.”
*
Dictatorship is government unconstrained by law.
They’ll never rest it seems until they have ruined or ended our lives.
Arbeit macht frie. 😉
This unelected shower of shite that calls itself a government is really pushing its luck. If you keep-on demonising people for being unemployed when IT IS AN ECONOMIC FACT THAT THERE AREN’T ENOUGH ACTUAL REAL JOB VACANCIES COMPARED TO THE NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED then eventually the unemployed will explode and as the poll tax riots demonstrated that can have violent consequencies. Even though I normally condemm violence, I am beginning to think direct violent l action against evil scum like IDS and Cameron is the only answer.
Politicians don’t come any more unpleasant and loathsome than Duncan-Smith. He was a total failure as a political leader and he appears to hate just about every section of society. A thoroughly loathsome individual.
Indeed and this utterly vile ‘man’ is a fine one to castigate the unemployed when the moronic prick LIED on his own CV. He used to boast about being the ‘Quite Man of British Politics’. He needs to remember that it is better to remain silent and be thought of as a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.
The people of Britain need to have the legal power/right/authority to recall Government and a Minister and an MP, only then will we weald true democratic power for to long power has been in the hands of the few and not the many.
We DO have the LEGAL RIGHT/AUTHORITY it’s called COMMON LAW, they and the courts work under CORPORATE LAW/MARITIME LAW, COMMON LAW is the LAW of the land and tops it everytime. CORPORATE LAW is only given the FORCE OF LAW BY CO)NSENT OF THE GOVERNED, all we have to SAY IS ‘NO’..
You get a pride of lions, a shoal of fish and a gaggle of geese. Has anyone a collective name for this shower of shit in government?.
I could suggest quit a few…..
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