Private firms awarded multimillion-pound contracts to run the Work Programme have advised that there should be many more cases where claimants have their benefits stripped as punishment for failing to seek work.
As part of its crackdown on welfare dependency, David Cameron‘s government has more than tripled the number of punishments enforced against failing jobseekers across all its schemes. The number of cases has risen from 139,000 benefit cuts under Labour in 2009 to more than 500,000 in 2011. Yet documents obtained by the research group Corporate Watch reveal how private firms on payment-by-result contracts have suggested that a much greater number of punishments should have been meted out to people on the Work Programme, a key part of the coalition’s drive to “get Britain working”.
In the first eight months of the government’s flagship employment scheme, jobcentres agreed to cut benefits in about 40,000 cases. But figures contained in an internal Department for Work and Pensions analysis reveal private firms running the programmes actually referred almost three times as many (110,000) for sanctions. And critics say jobcentres are gradually upping the number of those denied benefits.
Richard Whittell from Corporate Watch said the Work Programme appeared to be focused on slashing benefit rather than putting people into work. “These figures give the lie to the government’s claims its welfare reforms are about helping people into work,” he said.
“By the time it’s finished, more people will have been sanctioned by the Work Programme than properly employed through it. Every month thousands of people are having their only source of income stopped and being pushed into hardship. Companies like Serco, Working Links and G4S may not be very good at finding people suitable work, but they’re dab hands at punishing them.” The private firms say they make their referrals to job centres in line with government guidelines.
After a week in which the prime minister signalled his intention to hit those on benefits harder to create a more “responsible” society, the new figures suggest a hardening of attitudes towards the jobless, in spite of widespread misgivings about the fairness of the reforms already in place. Two claimants last week took the DWP to court over being forced to work for free.
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Not really new news is it, we knew the agenda and this article proves it.
Its a fascistic means to an end, we knew that.
What makes me laugh is their attempt at ‘reasoning’.
They say, “to make a responsible society”…… What a joke! History and common sense combined expose, to take away everything from people and punish them for nothing will have them go two ways…
1. Criminal behaviour.
2. Political activists.
This gov are pushing buttons and the entire population of welfare claimants are a time bomb awating to go off.
Ironicallly, gov think we will all turn on eachother but, we are all aware of them and their deviances, all welfare claimants are boiling within and know who is to blame.
I thought gov had more brains, but clearly, their arrrogance precedes them and theyve lost sight of the actual reality of who the people are and what we are capable of.
There will be a civil war soon, it wont be us against us, but against them and they will only then realise how backward they are and have been.
vile, forcing sick people off benefits into a jobless society
Arseholes produce shit. No news there!
The “politicians” suffer from short memories. They forget the Poll Tax riots, the Brixton riots, and have even seem to have forgotten last summer’s riots. Riots happen when people are pushed beyond the edge- when no-one has listened, when no-one cares. The bottom line is the need to survive, and desperation begets action. With all of us united who are at the sharp end of the pointed sticks this vile corrupt government wields we can topple them, hopefully before a huge explosion of unrest erupts again.
Make no mistake, the Condems and their business lackeys are no more than poverty pimps, who make Bill Sykes and Scrooge look like a pair of benevolent uncles. Outrageous acts of cruelty via policy are the order of the day. We must and will unseat them. They will be brought to justice. We shall not be divided. We shall prevail. Courage!
Couldnt have said that better myself. I view it all as you do Lou.
Throughout the ages of history the people have fought back and in masses with excessive force.
We should almost be greatful that the elites are so damn repetative lol.
They actually believe hey can out smart the common man, yet the common man, survives on minimal resources, the common man actually builds nations, the elites dont, cant and never will learn how. Theyre a joke at best and at worst? An ugly vile joke.
they can’t provide a carrot so they look for a bigger stick
Lol, they ‘wont’ provide the carrot, its too genourous a damn gesture, even the sticks on loan with a certified cost in interest.
yes emmmas not happy being pushed out of the lime light so come up with this shitte wanting to take more of our benefits away from us how much more can you take iv been time limited on £32.20 wk how much more do they want all of it .would it not been better stop paying these waste of time firms money and get the jcp to do the job they should be doing not emma,s money for nothing routine firm jeff3
My own thoughts on this are…
They WANT to provoked the working class, they want to place a state of emergency so they can form a tri-party government, suspend elections for a long, long time and they will use force to get what they want, they will have people crying out to them to take action to put down the troubles that are coming. Not the first time they have done this sort of thing, this mind was on a much smaller scale then what they have in store for us this time round.
http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/redclyde/redcly025.htm
Rather than screaming conspiracy and citing very poor analysis of a data set, I suggest that you try and understand some of the basic concepts and rules around sanctioning.
This hysteria is doing noone any favours and perpetuates the myth that punishment is a hidden agenda. It is not, and neither is it a finacially addvantages in terms of slashing the welfare bill as some have suggested.
Please look at reports such as these with some degree of reasoning and constructive analysis. Work programme is not ‘out to get you’ and neither are there providers involved in underhanded practices designed to punish and steal. The design of the programme does not drive that behaviour.
Your not “Emma Harrison are you”?….
Dear “Wake Up”
Our comments are based on reasoned analysis. To suggest otherwise is to cast us as people who are either not willing or not able to read,research, think, experience and come to conclusions are a result which is certainly not the case. What you appear to be saying is that to come to a conclusion that is contrary to your own, or the PR of the Condem Government means that person is incapable of analysing things and of reasonable thought (i.e. unreliable, unstable) unlike you. What does that say about you? What regimes have been guilty of this attitude? If you can’t think of any I would be happy to enlighten you! I think you are up to a bit of trolling you monkey!
With a name like yours, youd be wiser to live up to it.
You claim our views are a poor analysis, let me please explain, theres no damn analysis about it, its fact, its personal, its ongoing.
Where i am happy to debate any matter and where my views oppose many, as have here within this site on numerous occasions, theres still one thing to be undeniable and heavy solid evidented reality…..
THIS COUNTRY IS NOT IN ANY DEBT. THIS IS A FASCISTIC AGENDA TO RID BRITAIN OF THE POOR, DISABLED AND BELIEVED ‘USELESS’ TO ANY NEW WORLD ONE GOVERNMENT.
Are you so naive to believe the unelected scum playing their power trip and hate crimes is necessary to save a few pennies?
Billions of welfare is left unclaimed, tax payers money is being wasted on Atos and Tribunals tenfold.
For Christs sake learn something you fool!