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Views complaints nationwide about New Deal as submitted by people like you.

New Deal Complaints

About Ipswich Unemployed Action

Ipswich Unemployed Action is a group of unemployed people fighting for the rights of the unemployed nationally although we specifically focus on the Ipswich area.

We were formed in May 2009 after a string of Human Rights violation towards jobseekers specifically from New Deal courses provided by the local New Deal Prime Contractor YMCA Training in addition to Jobcentre Plus.

The more research undertaken on the issues it appears to be a national issue so we have also been focusing on raising awareness nationally on the failed New Deal system and also on the proposed Flexible New Deal scheme commencing October.

The Latest on the Ipswich Unemployed Action Network

Forced Labour for Jobseekers Pilot. Andrew Coates

Forced labour for Jobseekers (Via Manchester Mule here)

Despite high levels of unemployment due to the recession jobseekers in Greater Manchester will be forced to work up to 40 hours a week as part of the Work for Your Benefits (WfYB) pilot scheme. The region is set to be the trialling ground for a government initiative that will see unemployed people put into mandatory work placements for up to six months just to hold on to their Jobseeker's Allowance.

Below minimum wage

From October Jobseekers who have failed to find a job at the end of the Flexible New Deal programme will be required to undertake full time employment for between £50 and £65 a week, the equivalent of as little as £1.27 an hour. Concerns have already been raised that, with the numbers of unemployed rising, people who genuinely cannot find a job will be forced to work for next to nothing in an unsuitable role.

Alex Halligan from Salford Unemployed Workers' Union said, "It's disgusting that they've chosen to trial this in an area with such high unemployment. This scheme is a further attack on the right of people who can't find work to get the support they need.” Those who opposed the scheme say that it fails to take into account personal circumstances or the condition of the economy.

WfYB is being introduced as part of the government's wide-ranging reform of the welfare system. Other elements include lowering the age up to which parents can claim child support and measures to force more people off incapacity benefits.

Workers wages could fall by 12 per cent

Some suggest that the scheme will affect the working population as well as those claiming benefits. "This flood of unwaged labour into the market will have a big effect on low waged jobs. When a similar scheme was introduced in the US there was a 12 per cent decline in pay for low-income jobs,” Rebecca Galbraith from 'No to Welfare Abolition' told MULE.

Commenting on the fact that private companies rather than Jobcentres will be running the WfYB programme, she added, "Whoever runs this scheme it will be a disaster, but private companies can set arbitrary targets and are much less accountable.”

Businesses will be paid for each person they get into a work placement. This has raised fears companies might ignore difficult cases or put people into unsuitable positions just to receive the commission.

Labour MP John McDonnell placed a parliamentary question in December regarding the employment rights that participants in the scheme will be entitled to. He is concerned that, since they will not be technically employed, those taking part may be put in danger as they may not be covered by health and safety legislation.

Charities set to lose out

Charities and social institutions that rely on volunteers, many of whom are also Jobseekers, have expressed concerns that WfYB will take these people out of important roles and put them into positions that have no benefit to the community.

"The government does not care that many 'claimants' are not actually idle and do a lot of unpaid work like caring for others. Real voluntary activities will suffer if people are kicked into work schemes under this pilot,” said Mike from No to Welfare Abolition.

Alongside the WfYB scheme an alternative Jobcentre Plus regime will be trialled, designed to offer Jobseekers increased adviser contact and access to a personal support fund. This trial will receive just £3.5 million of funding whereas the WfYB programme will receive £15 million, raising questions over the government's priorities.

Uncertainty

Tenders for the running of the scheme have been submitted and will be allocated in April. It remains to be seen which employers will be taking advantage of the cheap labour, or the kinds of jobs people will be expected to do.

Patrick Smith



Defend the Welfare State and Public Services. 10th of April. Andrew Coates

Defend the Welfare State and Public Services.

London Demonstration, 10th of April.

Supported by major trade unions and pensioners’ organisations.

More Here



Ipswich Unemployed Action helps YMCA Training file their accounts Flexible New Deal

Ipswich Unemployed Action is happy to reveal that within a week we have managed to advise and support YMCA Training into delivering their accounts. YMCA Training were stuck in a rut: feeling down about Flexible New Deal and their inability to competently deliver Government Welfare-to-work schemes, so they forgot to fulfil their legal obligations of filing their business Accounts with the registry Companies House.

Enter Ipswich Unemployed Action who wasn’t judgemental or discriminative of YMCA Training’s past experiences or present circumstances of relying on religion to rejoice and praise them of their sins (including but not limited to slavery) who motivated the cursed Christian faith-oriented organisation YMCA Training to inspire their staff, develop their talents by joining in union to create a powerful team and transforming theirs thoughts into action!

Yes, YMCA Training with a bit of motivational training provided by Ipswich Unemployed Action… and recognition, made the transition into submitting their accounts. Finally!

It will cost £150 fine for late filing however without Ipswich Unemployed Actions help, it could have been as much as £1500 – saving £1350… Nevermind its only taxpayers’ money…

http://webmail.ymcatraining.org.uk/WorldClient.dll



Ipswich Backing Young Britain Ministerial Careers Fair Flexible New Deal

If you are unemployed, under 25 years old and have attended the Jobcentre recently you would have been invited to the “Backing Young Britain” ministerial careers fair at in the Sir Bobby Robson Suite (Ipswich Town Football Club) on Monday 15th March 2010 between 10.00AM – 11.00am.

They had even promoted it on the Jobcentre Plus website as a job.

Job Title
BYB 18-24 CAREERS FAIR    (ISF/39894)

Location
IPSWICH

Hours
10.00AM – 11.00AM

Wage
NONE

Work Pattern
Days

Pension
No details held

Duration
PERMANENT ONLY

Description

Backing Young Britain Ministerial Careers Fair. Monday 15th March 2010. Held at Ipswich Town Football Club, Portman Road, Ipswich, IP1 2DA in the Sir Bobby Robson Suite 10.00AM – 11.00am (Please use the entrance in Constantine Road). Specialist careers advice for jobseekers aged 18-24 will be on offer. Attendees – IDEA Apprenticeships, JCP, Reed in Partnership, Apprenticeships service, Care First Careers, National Council of Entrepreneurship, Suffolk College, Business Link, Next Steps, Princes Trust, Suffolk County Council, Chamber of Commerce, Future Jobs Fund Employers, UCS, Leap, Backing Young Suffolk

How to apply

For further details about job reference ISF/39894, please telephone Jobseeker Direct on 0845 6060 234. Lines are open 8.00am – 6.00pm weekdays, 9.00am – 1.00pm Saturday. All calls are charged at local rate. Call charges may be different if you call from a mobile phone. Alternatively, visit your local Jobcentre Plus Office and use the customer access phones provided to call Jobseeker Direct. The textphone service for deaf and hearing-impaired people is 0845 6055 255.

Contradictive aims?

I think so.  On Jobseekers Allowance you are seeking a “job” not a “career“. You might seek a job that you wish to do in the future and progress from in the same industry (i.e. a typical career) or progressing up the ranks and of responsibility in different industries, however as default you need to pick 2 more job areas to claim (the 3 on your Jobseekers Agreement) and those on Flexible New Deal may have to increase that original 3 to 5 (even though without any legal ability to really enforce that).

This seems to be focusing on just one area for improvement however someone people have to look at 5 times more – a contradiction if I have ever saw one.

Purpose?

This is just an promotional event for apprenticeships and college courses.



YMCA Training and the OVERDUE Accounts Flexible New Deal

Some more on our favourite New Deal Prime Contractor and Flexible New Deal Subcontractor: it looks as if YMCA Training will be fined for failing to deliver their accounts on time. It is almost a month overdue!

Lets hope they submit the Annual Return on time!

Text version of image:

Name & Registered Office:
YMCA TRAINING
55 HIGH STREET
BANBURY
OXFORDSHIRE
OX16 5JJ
Company No. 04379109

Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 21/02/2002

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: PRI/LBG/NSC (Private, Limited by guarantee, no share capital, use of ‘Limited’ exemption)
Nature of Business (SIC(03)):
8042 – Adult and other education
9131 – Religious organisations
Accounting Reference Date: 31/03
Last Accounts Made Up To: 31/03/2008 (FULL)
Next Accounts Due: 31/01/2010 OVERDUE
Last Return Made Up To: 21/02/2009
Next Return Due: 21/03/2010



James Purnell: What a Swell! Andrew Coates

James Purnell MP is not standing in the forthcoming General Election (here). Harpy here.

Former cabinet minister James Purnell has announced he will leave Parliament at the general election.

The MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, Greater Manchester, said it was a “difficult decision”, but he did not want to spend all his life in politics.

Mr Purnell quit as work and pensions secretary after last year’s local and European elections, calling for Gordon Brown to resign as prime minister.Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said he was “sad” about him going as an MP.

A former aide to Tony Blair, Mr Purnell has also served as culture secretary.

‘Huge privilege’

He has been an MP since 2001 and is currently leading a project on the future of the Left for the think-tank Demos.

He will be remembered by those on Benefits for introducing ‘Welfare Reform’.

That is lower benefits for the incapacitated, the Flexible New Deal, and workfare.

As the BBC report states, he had has a “huge privilege” (s).

Now he proposes to do some Lord Bountiful charity. With whatever well-paid ‘work’ he is used to.

What a swell governor!



Informal Meeting for Unemployed in Ipswich. Andrew Coates

There will be an informal meeting of the unemployed next week in Ipswich. 

It will be on the  22nd of  February at  7pm in the  Labour Club,  Silent St (just up from the DWP, near the Old Cattle Market).

It is being held as a Right to Work meeting. That is the national campaign which we have reported here before.

Ipswich Unemployed Action is concerned with highlighting the problems we ont he Dole face. We want a fairer, better system – and ways to deal with all the miserable problems the DWP and Flexible New Deal providers throw at us. Not to mention the prospect of Workfare – slog for a pittance with no rights.

 

In this we are probably in line with the Unemployed Workers’ Unions being set up all over the country.

Anyway, this is a chance to do something about changing our conditions.



Benefit Cheats? Rewarding Grasses? Andrew Coates

(Response to Government Plans to Pay  those who inform on ‘dole fraud’)

By the government’s own admission, more than 1,100 people phone its benefit hotline or report online each day, and last year it claims that more than 56,000 people were caught, although there were only 6,000 prosecutions (Report, 8 February). Yet even on the DWP’s own figures the overwhelming ­majority of calls were malicious and without foundation.

Each time someone is informed upon, whether innocent or otherwise, they are summoned to an interview on pain of suspension of benefits. This causes immense stress for people who are the victims of anonymous informants.

To target people who are already vulnerable should be a clear warning that for the unemployed New Labour is no better than the Tory opposition. Most so-called benefit fraud arises from the fact that it is impossible, for any length of time, for a person to survive on £64.30 a week. The term “benefit thief” is itself derogatory and discriminatory. It implies that all benefit claimants are potential or actual thieves.

Tony Greenstein

Secretary, Brighton & Hove Unemployed Workers Centre

 

(Guardian 15.2.10)



Reed in Partnership and the Carers Scam Flexible New Deal

Ipswich Unemployed Action has been tipped off about Reed in Partnership’s intention of forcing Flexible New Deal participants into Carers Jobs – which is pretty much a duplication of the Jobcentre Plus activity that was underway in 2009 at the Ipswich Jobcentre Plus Office – and a few others I know of.

Reed in Partnership is ignoring the Flexible New Deal participants’ 5 chosen job areas and in some cases forcing on participants a career in caring.

This strikes me as extremely concerning – not primarily because jobs are being unnecessarily forced on to Flexible New Deal participants – but due to the fact that the disabled, the elderly and the young requires a person undertaking a carer role who are passionate about the job and not someone who couldn’t care only not to get a 6 month variable benefit sanction.

A carer who doesn’t care really goes against the point I think…



Flexible New Deal in Ipswich Flexible New Deal

Ipswich Unemployed Action has done some primary research on the two Flexible New Deal providers in Ipswich: TNG and A4e.  (Reed in Partnership Scandal Grows).

TNG: YMCA Training

TNG (the Training Network Group) is rumoured to split Flexible New Deal participants into 4 groups. 2 remain at TNG who lease space in Princes Street – Wolsey House (where YMCA Training used to be); and the other 2 groups get sent to YMCA Training at Dencora House. Initial comments on TNG/YMCA Training:

A4e: Reed in Partnership

A4e don’t have premises in Ipswich – they wholly subcontract out to Reed in Partnership who lease space inside Crown House (near Tower Ramparts). Initial comments on A4e/Reed in Partnership:

Flexible New Deal in Ipswich

If you are a Flexible New Deal participant at one of the providers in Ipswich feel free to append comments on your experiences so far. If comments are significant enough will compile them into an update article.



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