DWP Staff and UC rollout

[trebormoinet]

Considering that a large proportion of JCP staff are part time and the roll out of Universal Credit inevitability means that some will have to go through the same process as most claimants and sign on and encouraged to increase hours.

 

Is it reasonable that they are able to police themselves,it is no stretch of the imagination to presume they will scratch each others back and turn blind eyes amongst themselves.

 

I have read that they can ask to sign on at another office rather than the one they work if they feel uncomfortable being interrogated by their colleagues but what about if there is only one office as in the case in many areas.

 

Whatever it seems they will have special/preferential treatment, in my opinion there should be an independent body setup to deal with these cases.

[unclebulgaria67]

Interesting! Is this being debated somewhere else online ?

 

Large % of JCP staff part-time ? Is this a well known stat or based on your local JCP ?

 

Why would DWP or any other Civil Service departments be given any special treatment ? Where has this fact come from ?

 

UC seems to me to be a massive long lasting claim database covering a huge % of the population and whether people are employed in public or private sectors, their claims will just be processed based on their individual data.

 

I have dealt with Insurance claims for staff working for an Insurance company and I can't ever remember giving them special treatment. It is just a case of looking at information, making an assessment and doing what you need to, complying with any rules.

 

I believe in the civil service it can be a sackable offence dealing with anything belonging to member of the family, a friend or a close work colleague. Even if they did everything by the book, they would have to advise of their relationship and not deal with transaction. I can't see a JCP office dealing with UC files of staff working in the same office. And if Government were required to set up an independent company or body to deal with all Civil Servants affairs, it would be pretty big and costly. You would have to include local Government in that as well, as they presumably handle staff council tax, planning applications etc.

[trebormoinet]

There are a significant number of part time workers at the DWP, it would be interesting to find out how many DWP workers have been sanctioned since UC roll out.

 

I cannot see any other way than for them to effectively police themselves without some sort of deviation from the procedure from general claimant population,and again some towns only have one office, and relationships within the DWP extend to other offices so as a solution it is not ideal.

 

It does not take a stretch of the imagination to assume that in some areas they will have no other choice other than see to colleagues unless special measures are implemented, and as you said it goes against the civil service code of practice if that were the case.

 

 

 

I have put in a freedom of information in order to see if they have documents relating to how the DWP will manage part time staff and UC.

[Bazooka Boo]

I'll be very interested to see if they respond to that, and the revelation!

[essexmat]

My Work Coach on UC (work coach, LOL) is part time 3 days a week.

 

I go to see her and sit down, say what I have been doing

(a few real applications and cover the rest of the time in one click apply applications) but she is not interested anyway

- she is a pussycat

(so far and I hope it stays that way)

- I am in and out in 5 minutes

- fact is,

most cannot be bothered to adminster the 35 hour rule and have no way of checking.

Just tow the line, show you are doing something and job done.

 

From experience to date

(been on UC 7 weeks and to the job centre every week since claiming as you have to go weekly for the first 13 weeks of the claim)

they know very little about UC and my WC even told me once a month to see me would be good enough but the rules are in place to see me week

 

UC in principle should work, in reality it is a farce

[Bazooka Boo]

Basically, UC in principle should work, in reality it is a farce

 

The DWP is a farce full stop!

[trebormoinet]

I did not know you have to sign Weekly for the first 13 Weeks, I hope you claim travel expenses for the weeks that are off-cycle.

 

I am on JSA and hopefully I will be safe from UC until at the earliest 2019 unless I have a change of circumstances.

 

If they are struggling to find independent bodies to police the part time work coaches efforts to increase their hours I am sure there is an an army of unemployed people willing to step up to the plate.

 

Under the old rules normally if you work 16 or more hours per week at least you had the dignity of signing off under UC it seems they are setting people up for a lifetime on benefits.

 

The only good thing about UC is that it has dragged in those that administer it, a taste of their own medicine might make them more empathetic towards those they monitor.

[essexmat]

Just catching up on this.

 

Yes, I made sure I claimed 'off cycle' They of course did not offer it but I knew my rights about only paying to comein fortnightly. You want me in weekly? Pay for it!

 

As my WC is part time I am not back now until January 3rd. I have heard how they speak to some claimants there - it is disgusting, luckily they cannot do that with me as I throw the book at them with legislation and rights. Basically (so far so good if good is the right word for being on this awful benefit) I am left alone - hopefully it stays that way.

 

Why should I complain anyway? I have £62 to last me until January 11th. Oh well, more money off the credit card that won't be paid anyway within a few months. Bad credit score? Got one already and will never need a mortgage anyway so no harm done!

 

Yes I know I sound like a baby and really angry - I never used to be, it is the DWP that had made me like this

[trebormoinet]

Sounds like we in the same boat.

With the cost of living rising and benefits frozen it will only get worse.

 

It is no coincidence that a system that causes mental illness,anxiety,depression ensures that their is no hiding place for those it inflicts.

 

We must be a nation of masochists if we support a system through taxes and national insurance that ensures 8 million workers are in poverty, that we force those that are ill,incapable,unable to work if they want to or not.

 

And those who through the lottery of life find themselves without a job are subjected to physiological harassment.

 

This country needs unemployment, it is baked into the system, without unemployment, their could be no new businesses,industry could not expand, wages would rise, the workers would be in control.

[essexmat]

You have it 100% spot on my friend.

 

From the age of 13 I was working

- I am 43 now

 

in those 30 years I have been out of work (through no fault of my own) 3 years.

In that time whilst employed in what I call proper jobs in the city working full time, pension, bonuses etc

I dread to think what I have paid in to the system.

 

I then get ill and claim ESA and am then chucked off of it for daring to be ill.

I then lose £102pm in benefit income which is MY MONEY from my payments in to the system,

not THEIR money

and now my depression and anxiety is WORSE.

 

Even my GP says I am too unwell to travel to work and do a full day

but that is OK I should do any job to help with my UC

- yeah, great.

 

I have no social life now,

I just about get through the month.

 

Luckily my parents have contributed to food and bills to help me get through this but why should they have to?

 

I have actively seen claimants bullied at the JCP,

luckily I can stand up for myself

but others less fortunate cannot.

 

One claimant on a desk a few meters away from me was threatened with a sanction because he was 10 mins late for an appointment because he dared to help an old lady who fell over in the street and call ambulance for her.

 

Some WCs are OK and just want you in and out,

others get a kick out of manipulation and bullying.

I hope some of them end up on UC and suffer!

[theronstar]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-the-future-of-dwp-jobcentres

[trebormoinet]

My City is merging 3 local offices with the local Authority in February and will be one of the largest benefit offices in the UK, I say benefit offices as I think they dropping the name job centre in these cases,regardless there will be over 300 advisers at this office and as it is the only benefit office in the city so I am intrigued how they intend to deal with their own staff.

[osdset]

When UC was in it's infancy, it was mentioned that part time DWP staff might well have to claim it. I remember laughing like a drain at the time.

Oh the irony!