Goodbye welfare, hello workfare -- New Internationalist

http://www.publicinterestlawyers.co....ils.php?id=263

This is a bit off topic surrounding the Work Progamme but this is definitely worth looking into if you're claiming Jobseekers' Allowance because, funnily enough, JobCentre staff rarely point this out to claimants:

Did you know that after 13 weeks signing on for Jobseekers' Allowance you are entitled to claim for reduced travel on your Oyster card? Seriously! Ask when you sign on if you've been claiming for or are near the 13 week mark. They give you a form to fill out, once you fill it out, they stamp/validate it and after that, you have to get a couple of passport sized photographs. You then have to go to the post office with ID and then they validate the Oystercard (you pay £3 for the card, it's all explained in the pamphlet). It's valid for six months and you get HALF PRICE adult travel.

I received a letter today which went along the lines of:

"Dear Mr. Champers,

We would like to invite you to your next Work Programme appointment...."

The next paragraph starts:

"Failure to do so may affect your benefit status and if you do not attend we will have to inform Jobcentre Plus, who will decide whether your benefits will be affected..."

So in one breath, I am "invited" and in the next breath I am summarily threatened. This is me nit picking, I know, but if they're going to be haughty and imperious the least they could do is maintain that professional distance throughout and not attempt to lull the reader into some fake-*** pretension of cordiality with the word "invite". If it were an invitation, a true invitation would involve raised lettering, an RSVP option and the prospect of cu***ber sandwiches and Pimms.

As you can gather, this is a one-on-one meeting with a personal adviser. I can envision this being a battle of wits, Ill be sure to let you know what you can expect if you ever get to this point on the Work Programme....

It's been three weeks since I first contacted them and I still have no money despite the fact that I've had to go to the jobcentre three times, next week it'll be four. Luckily I have some other money to live off but I can imagine this would be awful for some people, They really don't seem to know what they're doing in there.

This is almost four weeks since you made your first claim, amirite? Did you do it originally online via the direct.gov site or in person (I'm just curious)? I did it online, and as I recall, someone got back to me, a letter was in the post organising my first meeting to determine my eligibility and my first dole payment was in my account in a matter of six weeks. To sum it up, I think I had two "in person" meetings, and that was simply to tie up administrative loose ends, and then it was relatively straightforward. It sounds as if you're being unnecessarily ****ed about.

I think you really should chase them up at the Jobcentre and ask them exactly where you are in the process. I encounter lots of people in the Jobcentre each time I sign on and overhear accounts of delays/non-payment etc.