Are Job Centre and Tescos exploiting this carer.

[diva]

On the Money Saving Expert website there is a really VERY interesting thread about a carer doing a three week work trial at Tesco for no wage. It is on the Employment Jobseeking and Training Board and the thread is titled "Work placement or work slavement. She risks losing her Carers Allowance by doing this. Can someone PLEASE put up a link to this thread. There is also another thread within that thread that shows this sort of thing was happening two years ago. I tried to put up a link but couldnt remember whether to press cut or copy or paste first and hubby is watching the Grand Prix so i darent interupt him. Thanks.

[Maxi]

this fails to shock me.its going to get more interesting-yet as the government seek to motivate people who are on benefits to do various jobs,paid or unpaid.i see this as inevitable.is it exploitation?.i am in two minds on that one.its a trade-off.the person placed gets training,makes new freinds gets out of the rut,all that stuff.the employer can see how good these placements are at the job.what is the alternative?.

[Stacey]

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho ... ?t=2840618

I found the thread, if you copy the above link it should take you straight to it.

It's crazy that a major supermarket can require someone seeking a job to work full time for nothing for a week as a "work trial." It's free labour for what most likely requires a few hours of training. In any case, it's designed for people on JSA and they would not lose their JSA during the work trial.

I think the poster is incorrect though as she said she would lose her carer's allowance for the week because she is unavailable to care. The work trial and the work she is seeking appears to be night work, so she is available all day to care. Carer's allowance requires someone to be available 35 hours (if I remember correctly) per week and she will be okay. You don't need to be available 24 x 7 to care (although most of us, like this poster, feel that it's the case.)

[Eun]

When Rob was aged 4 (he's now 25!)I started work in a Coop store on the checkout - I had to work my training unpaid and I had to leave the job before actually starting because the hours did not fit around my sons nursery hours (despite them promising that they would). So they got all those hours of unpaid labour out of me.

Eun

[Stacey]

Eun,

I think this is different because it's not a regular training period, it's a work trial without a guarantee at the end there is even a job available. That said, I think working for free during training should not be allowed. I can see a reduced wage and no benefits (if there are any) until someone gets out of training successfully, but not £0.00 in their pockets for working.

Shortly after reading this thread I had to make a trip to the chemist and tuned into Radio 2. Lo and behold there was a discussion going on about this very topic given the news today about people on JSA being forced to work.

The fly in the ointment with all this is that there are very few jobs of any type available. So potentially we have companies getting free labour and the jobless rate continuing to go up because now companies do not have to hire - all they need to do is go to the government for their free labour force. And with councils forced to slash their budget - what better way to top up on services such as street cleaning or the like than with a free labour force?

[no1mum]

The fly in the ointment with all this is that there are very few jobs of any type available. So potentially we have companies getting free labour and the jobless rate continuing to go up because now companies do not have to hire - all they need to do is go to the government for their free labour force. And with councils forced to slash their budget - what better way to top up on services such as street cleaning or the like than with a free labour force?

Exactly what we were saying here last night when we heard about it on the news.

[Lazydaisy]

I think that this is becoming quite common. Both Rhys and Katie had to do training days for potential jobs,(they had about 300 young people attending these training days)and if I did a return to nursing course, would have to do something like 50-100 hours unpaid work.
Rhys did two work placements,one was with the National Park. He loved it,but they said there was no fulltime work available. Funny how they could keep accepting people from the jobcentre, and get 13 weeks free labour.

[MaryB]

I think it's an outrage!
Reading today about the P.M's wife having a 60k a year stylist for 4 day week, why doesn't he lead by example then and tell her she will be having one of those long term unemployed workshy types having a go instead, after all we are all in it together
Vicky

[diva]

Thanks for doing the link Stacey. I actually think the press would be interested in this story especially given the recent news about forced labour. What astounded me was when they kept saying on the news that you must undertake unpaid voluntary work or lose your money. How the bloody hell is it voluntary. The Tories really need to look that word up in the dictionary. It is forced labour through blackmail!

[Nilla]

Very interesting is that and shocking!

My Mum and I were saying today that companies would flock to get free labour its all wrong