Better off claiming than working

EELightning.
I agree 100% with what you say, there is a vast difference from WANTING to work, than just working the system.
I know a young lad, well, 25 who has plenty of qualifications, including, plumbing, and electrician, he has forgotten the amount of times he has applied for jobs, but is still unemployed.

One big thing that pees him off, is that very few Companies even have the decency to reply to his applications.
Good manners cost nothing.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I was on the dole for just under 7 months before I got the job I’m doing now, which I love, after being laid off from another one I thoroughly enjoyed. Indeed, it started to get a little difficult at around the forth month I was unemployed but I got by.

Its not nice being on the dole claiming benefits but its certainly nothing to be ashamed of if you’re willing to work. Theres a small minority of people on the dole that don’t want to work because they simply can’t be ar$ed, its this small minority that paint an unpleasant picture for the large majority of people that are on the dole like them and unlike them, actualy do want to work. It certainly lowers your self-esteem & confidence when you’re looked down upon by “know it alls” (monaing tw”ts that fail to look at the bigger picture) that just think you’re on the dole to sponge – which really boils my p*ss!

I agree, give them food and clothing coupons. Then they will go and “Moonlight” on a back pocket job to get their booze and ciggies,
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Some months back while loading our shopping onto the conveyor belt, this female clocked the fruit and veg in our shopping and tried to get me to refund her voucher for cash, I was of course was very obliging and directed her to were she could actually get fruit and veg for her kids, but somebody “cashed” her voucher, saw her buying her cigs later.

I agree, give them food and clothing coupons. Then they will go and “Moonlight” on a back pocket job to get their booze and ciggies,
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Oh, there are many of us, Bmused. I signed a petition many months ago and if you Google I am sure you will find lots of material on the subject.

Unemployment benefit is a farce. They should be given vouchers for food and utilities if required, not cash.

Ah ha! Finally someone who sees it as I do.
I live in a place where those on benefits outnumber those with jobs.
It’s ridiculous, they’re up all hours, drive newer cars than I do, some pretty tip top in spec too and they seem to have endless supplies of food, alcohol and cigarettes.

I earn 17K (before tax) and once my bills, taxes and essential expenses are paid, I have £180 disposable. With that I have to pay to keep my car on the road (in order to get to work, public transport would cost me £250 a month) and buy food.

Yes, there are people out there who have no choice but to be on benefits, my mate is one of them. I can’t go into it, but the law is involved, he’s innocent, but bail conditions basically stop him from doing anything apart from breathe. He has no choice but to claim benefits to survive and keep his house. Before all this, he had never once claimed and was always in a job and ahead of his debts.

However, I do kind of get sick of seeing the same people, driving the nice cars, living a good life with good “branded” clothes and never, ever, going to work, while I slog it out for 40 hours a week and earn a pittance knowing my TAX and N.I. contributions are giving them that lifestyle.

Put them on US style food and clothing coupons.

A viewpoint from a worker offshore in the North Sea (of which I was one for the best part of 20 years before I moved abroad):

The Urine Test. (This was written by a rig worker in the North Sea – What he says makes a lot of sense!)

I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit.

In order to earn my income, I work on a rig, isolated, away from my family for 6 months a year, often in harsh weather for a Drilling Contractor. For this I am (I admit) well paid.

In order to allow me to continue in my job I am required to pass a random urine test for drugs and alcohol, (which can be requested of me at any time) with which I have no problem.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test.

Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a benefits cheque, because I have to pass one to earn it for them ?

Please understand that I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sit on their backside, who by choice does not want to work, drinking beer and smoking dope.

Could you imagine how much money the government would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a benefit cheque?

Unemployment benefit is a farce. They should be given vouchers for food and utilities if required, not cash.

I’ve been unemployed for a few months now, but I’m living off my savings. I have never claimed anything from the system, and won’t unless I exhaust everything, including my house.

I would find claiming, unless absolutely necessary, too humiliating to bear.

Been there, done that, in my case due to injury, take my word for it savings don’t last, we had to sell the house and start again as soon as I got back to work, but when you have dependants ( at that time two young children) principles get moved on the back burner.

Unemployment benefit is a farce. They should be given vouchers for food and utilities if required, not cash.

I’ve been unemployed for a few months now, but I’m living off my savings. I have never claimed anything from the system, and won’t unless I exhaust everything, including my house.

I would find claiming, unless absolutely necessary, too humiliating to bear.

It wouldn’t probably seem too bad, but how much longer can we afford to keep all the illegals on the same handout system, Soft touch G.B. no wonder they try any means possible to get here.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

We all know that this stuff in The Daily Fail is blown up considerably, but of course they have found a pair of archetypal scroungers.

Not checked the figures, but I don’t get how they manage to accumalate that sort of income from benefits, the money launched at illegals and immigrant workers is also a farce, before anyone jumps on my head and tells me that immigrants are all hard working, just look around, yes they take the minimum rate jobs, then claim working tax credits and even child allowances when in many cases their families aren’t even in the country.

I noticed a report a few days back, which stated very simply that adopting the “living wage” as a minimum wage would immediately save £2.2billion in welfare payments, so who are we funding? scroungers or lousy employers paying lousy wages.

Agree totally that no-one able to work should be better off on benefits than working, but are benefits too high or wages too low?, we all know that the Tory philosophy would have every-one but the select few on poverty income with no back up, but were is the balance?

there are plenty of unemployed, who would love a job, even at the minimum wage, but are unable to find one.
Just my opinion.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I take a different view. The jobs are out there, the :mad::mad: younger generation of today don’t want certain kind of jobs. At the end of the day, a job is a job, be it being a cleaner, or working in McDonalds etc etc.

It wouldn’t probably seem too bad, but how much longer can we afford to keep all the illegals on the same handout system, Soft touch G.B. no wonder they try any means possible to get here.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

We may be quick to damn these idle %% etc, but for many a year politicians have shied away from doing anything that will damage votes. The idle are just taking what’s given to them by an extremely over generous state.

For those of us who have never claimed a penny (and are now retired but still working) it is hard to understand the mentality of those who believe that the world owes them a living and low and behold it continues to cough up.

At least one man in the current government understands this cannot carry on and is trying hard to change things, only to be thwarted at every turn by everyone around him.

Votes are obviously more important than sorting out this multi-billion pound travesty.

I’ve done long commutes to London (5:45 get up…) shift work until 4 am…. travel all hours and distances, and recently as per my own thread was royally shafted, but still turn up and still pay my tax/N.I.

It does bring out the enraged Daily Mail reader in me when I read of things like this.

And on top of all that, you have had Cruella the wicked Witch of the N.S.E. and West to contend with. 😉
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Left school at 15
To this day after nearly thirty years of on and off work ive never claimed a penny.
reading that i must be daft.
x

No, Your not daft, you can look back, and rest easily in bed each night, PROUD of the fact your not a scrounger. Some, not all of the likes of those two, need to get their backsides kicked, and made to work, even if it’s a shelf stacking job in a Supermarket.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I started part time in a shop (bejam anybody ?) at 15 and often paid N.I when we had overtime etc. Started full time work at 18 after 6th form, made redundant 22 years ago, out of work for 6 weeks, never claimed, been at full time work ever since. One salary increase (less than 2%) in four years, and I moved into a higher rate tax band 8 odd years ago so if I do score a bonus I pay even more of it to the good folk who like to claim it.

I’ve done long commutes to London (5:45 get up…) shift work until 4 am…. travel all hours and distances, and recently as per my own thread was royally shafted, but still turn up and still pay my tax/N.I.

It does bring out the enraged Daily Mail reader in me when I read of things like this.

Left school at 15 Luckily got a job washing cars a week later then after a month went to work for the national coal board,one year later out on strike for twelve months.Couldn’t claim anything so jobbed about laboring,building ect.
The pit closed a year after that,i never signed on.Too proud/daft/embarrassed i don’t know which.Again worked behind bars on doors labored again through the day.
To this day after nearly thirty years of on and off work ive never claimed a penny.
reading that i must be daft.
x

Ah! Of course – thanks.

Matt – sorry, JSA??

Sorry, Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Matt – sorry, JSA??