Benefit tests do not prove employability

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Friday, July 09, 2010
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This is Grimsby

RE: testing people on incapacity benefit (IB) to see if they can do any type of work, I would like to make a few points about the Lib-Con proposals.

Just because someone can "pass" a short assessment test doesn't mean they are up to the rigours of a 40-hour week.

Governments have connived to keep people on IB being prepared to pay extra in order to reduce the more politically-sensitive jobless figures.

Moving thousands onto Job Seekers' Allowance (JSA) means you accept a higher official jobless total.

Someone with a history of IB qualification is hardly going to be a catch for a prospective employer, especially given the jobs shortage.

Moving people from one benefit to another doesn't create a single new job.

Reducing the benefit level of anyone means they have less money to spend in the private sector.

Thus the more moved in any one town from IB to JSA, the greater the loss of trade.

Incidentally, I have never been on IB or any similar benefit.

Tim Mickleburgh, Littlefield Lane, Grimsby.

PS I used to work at the Tribunal Office at Leeds and was never happy with the arbitrary nature of the tests taken to prove someone's employability.

They never took account of the fact that some disabled people have good and bad days whereas to be in employment you need regular adequate health.

Also, the jobs it was said you could do were often a joke – one regularly cited was being a pier toll clerk, even though Leeds is many miles from the sea.

The Telegraph says

As in many other cases, the genuine will always want to do the right thing!

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  • Profile image for This is Grimsby

    by Baron, Grimsby

    Monday, July 19 2010, 10:16AM

    “I am not a false name poster, I chose to use an alias that I use commonly online. My name would perhaps mean nothing to you, but I chose not to use it. My views are still the same.

    And you are wildly sweeping. It matters because you got a job in 3 days? So that shows you have work ethic and not luck? Well people say you make your own luck, but I was out of work and did the same, but without the luck of getting a job accepted. I did this for a while, and much of the time I didn't apply for benefits. I had to in the end, because no one would give me the time of day. I then got a job, and have been working since, day in day out.

    So am I a parasite? Or are you going to understand that there are people, some people who aren't genuine, some who are, but just because they have being on benefits does not automatically make them parasites or whatever low opinion you wish to degrade them with.”

  • Profile image for This is Grimsby

    by David Sanderson, Grimsby

    Thursday, July 15 2010, 5:48PM

    “Baron, I know I said I wouldn't respond to 'false name posters' but it DOES matter, I was once unemployed for 3 days, I spent the first day job hunting, the second day accepting a phone call saying 'start on monday' and the third day relaxing, at no point did I even think about benefits, I am not lucky,I just have a work ethic, some people don't. I view work as the dangling carrott, it pays the bills, it gets me by and I survive, at times I wonder why I bother but I turn up, day in, day out, my partner has a similar attitude, certain people REFUSE to work, to accept personal responsibility, life on hand outs or parasitically living off other peoples money is the easy choice. I think this letter writer and the comment deleters have their priorities wrong, I wouldn't give people who think they are victims of an evil world the time of day.”

  • Profile image for This is Grimsby

    by Baron, Grimsby

    Thursday, July 15 2010, 10:23AM

    “Can I ask why does it matter if someone has or hasn't claimed benefits? Does it affect the opinions stated? Or is it just a method of looking down upon someone. First of all, it is a private finical matter and not something that needs to be on a public forum if someone chooses not to disclose it. Second, there is no wonder with the amount of people who seem incredibly proud that they have never claimed and then lump any who have claimed into the same lazy lay about boat. It does seem that there is a chase on to simply discredit one persons opinion

    Just because a person has never claimed means only one thing, you are lucky. Some people haven't been so lucky and have had to take the support (I would also say these people have probably paid tax previously too). And yes, there are some who take advantage and everyone doesn't like them since it is not fair (but as I've previously said, I view those people the same as the people illegally avoiding tax and cost the tax payer more money, they are both scum).

    Free speech doesn't apply, there are rules about what can or can't be said applied by the website owners/operators. If you want free speech, then create your own website and leave it unmoderated.”

  • Profile image for This is Grimsby

    by The EU, Europe

    Wednesday, July 14 2010, 9:30PM

    “The way comments are being deleted, it's incredible that UK betrayed can promote themselves as purveyours of free speech, deleting comments just because they disagree with them, not responding to reasonable questions such as have THEY claimed benefits, threatening people in their own homes, maybe they should look at a few house rules, such as why not try paying for a house before you live in it?”

  • Profile image for This is Grimsby

    by josephine white, Grimsby

    Wednesday, July 14 2010, 9:17PM

    “David, you are making a complete fool of yourself .. go to bed and sleep it off.

    (And if I were you, i'd have a look at the sites House Rules .. there's quite a few you are breaking. You're going to get banned at this rate).”

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