Unfit for work? well done labia.....

[pugwash4x4]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14280849

holy crap

36% dropped out of the process, 39% were deemed fit.

that's 3/4s of all claimants effectively claiming fraudulantly.

lets imagine that the tests are unfair in 20% of cases- thats still almost 2 in 3 claimants who are alledgedl too ill, but are just fecking lazy.

oh and wait for the new unemployment figures going up, and the government getting it in the neck for being honest about the situation.

Surely a huge piss boiler for any family who works full time and lives within their means.

[Disco_Dale]

pugwash4x4 said:

oh and wait for the new unemployment figures going up, and the government getting it in the neck for being honest about the situation.

Theres a first time for everything.

The practice of using incapacity benefit to massage unemployment figures goes back a lot further than the last Labour govt and has been used extensively by governments since the 1970s.

[TheEnd]

The acid test-
Think of all the benefits claimants that have been caught doing something stupid, like saying they have a bad back, and then playing rugby at the weekend.

There's going to be a lot more people claiming illness who don't give it away so obviously, and just watch Jeremy Kyle all day.

[Caulkhead]

Not really a surprise though is it?

It never ceases to amaze me the numbers of people who post on internet fora about their unfit for work claims. If you can post on the internet and speak on the phone you can probably do a job of some sort.

[freecar]

Caulkhead said:

Not really a surprise though is it?

It never ceases to amaze me the numbers of people who post on internet fora about their unfit for work claims. If you can post on the internet and speak on the phone you can probably do a job of some sort.

There is that, but put yourself in the employers shoes. Would you want somebody that is only able to sit at a desk and post on the internet or would it be better to have somebody who could also help push a broom around or carry 20Kg of files upstairs?

[SplatSpeed]

i have said this for years!

[pugwash4x4]

only twice though? :P

[CoopR]

freecar said:

There is that, but put yourself in the employers shoes. Would you want somebody that is only able to sit at a desk and post on the internet or would it be better to have somebody who could also help push a broom around or carry 20Kg of files upstairs?

Yea, see that's a big issue because it's not black and white...

Are they fit to do work? Yes
Are they fit to do a job? Perhaps not so much

[BoRED S2upid]

CoopR said:

Yea, see that's a big issue because it's not black and white...

Are they fit to do work? Yes
Are they fit to do a job? Perhaps not so much

Depends what job.

[Eric Mc]

I thought Labour introduced these new tests in the first place.

And many of the decisions of these tests have been overturned on appeal. Are those appeal results included in the stats quoted?

[Munter]

CoopR said:

freecar said:

There is that, but put yourself in the employers shoes. Would you want somebody that is only able to sit at a desk and post on the internet or would it be better to have somebody who could also help push a broom around or carry 20Kg of files upstairs?

Yea, see that's a big issue because it's not black and white...

Are they fit to do work? Yes
Are they fit to do a job? Perhaps not so much

Call centres do have a high turn over of staff. I don't think a lack of ability to carry some files is going to stop them employing someone who can actually speak English in to a phone and use a keyboard and mouse.

I can however see them choosing based on the mental abilities of 2 candidates to interact with customers, more than a physical constraint on doing things outside of the norm for their role. I'm thinking there are a lot of people who've been faking incapacity benefit who are not the sort of people we'd want to work with or deal with as a customer.

[Adrian W]

Maybe someone can take a long hard look at Motability next,

[Jasandjules]

It's good to reduce those who claim whilst they are fit, but I worry that those who are in need of these kinds of benefits lose them. I know too many people who are very ill who don't claim a lot of the things they can because of the hassle.

[Oakey]

There was a lad that lived local to me, always walked with a limp. He did do something to his ankle once and I have no doubt it was serious, at the time. But these things tend to heal eventually. Anyway, he was off work with DLA and they also got a brand new motor on Motability that his OH always drove. This went on for a few years. Until recently. I haven't seen the Motability car for a while, but what did appear outside his house was a white van. Said van was later wrapped, it appears he's now running his own landscaping service. He also no longer walks with a limp!

[freecar]

Munter said:

CoopR said:

freecar said:

There is that, but put yourself in the employers shoes. Would you want somebody that is only able to sit at a desk and post on the internet or would it be better to have somebody who could also help push a broom around or carry 20Kg of files upstairs?

Yea, see that's a big issue because it's not black and white...

Are they fit to do work? Yes
Are they fit to do a job? Perhaps not so much

Call centres do have a high turn over of staff. I don't think a lack of ability to carry some files is going to stop them employing someone who can actually speak English in to a phone and use a keyboard and mouse.

I can however see them choosing based on the mental abilities of 2 candidates to interact with customers, more than a physical constraint on doing things outside of the norm for their role. I'm thinking there are a lot of people who've been faking incapacity benefit who are not the sort of people we'd want to work with or deal with as a customer.

You'd be surprised, most employers would rather employ somebody who is totally able-bodied regardless of whether the job requires it or not. It isn't fair but then life isn't.

[Mojocvh]

A couple of months before the last round [of farcical] Scottish elections, the SNP administration managed an amazing drop in Scottish unemployed of some 13,000.

How do you think they managed that? 13,000 sudden new jobs?

No.

Hell, I don't get a penny [despite 30+ years of contributions] and fund myself through savings/insurance policies etc, and they even signed ME off [despite being unemployed funnily enough, and NO I have still not received their appeals paperwork!!! ]

It's all a blind, driven by government and administered by the civil [!] service who will conveniently bend and break any of their own rules at the direction of their political masters.

If you REALLY think this is "just", go ahead, but don't bleat when this systematic abuse of "the system" comes and bites you on the ass.

[Adrian W]

freecar said:

You'd be surprised, most employers would rather employ somebody who is totally able-bodied regardless of whether the job requires it or not. It isn't fair but then life isn't.

Yep! its because disabled people "know their rights" to the letter, to an employer it is just not worth the hassle.

[vonuber]

Adrian W said:

Yep! its because disabled people "know their rights" to the letter, to an employer it is just not worth the hassle.

Probably because they have ceen discriminated against in the past.

[br d]

I was in a chip shop in the Cambridge Heath road the other week, chatting with the owner about the downturn and general gloom. She said how hard it is for people to afford holidays now, although Mr So-and-so from the houses behind the shop got a fantastic deal, him, his wife and daughter had 2 weeks all inclusive in a beautiful, luxury resort in Cyprus for just 1500 quid.

I said well good luck to him if he works hard for it.

Well, she said, he does a few mornings helping set-up down at the market but he's on disability anyway, he fell out of bed 15 years ago and they've paid out ever since, he's often in here laughing about it.

I did 13 hours that day.

I hope they catch every last one of the scrounging s.

[Caulkhead]

freecar said:

Caulkhead said:

Not really a surprise though is it?

It never ceases to amaze me the numbers of people who post on internet fora about their unfit for work claims. If you can post on the internet and speak on the phone you can probably do a job of some sort.

There is that, but put yourself in the employers shoes. Would you want somebody that is only able to sit at a desk and post on the internet or would it be better to have somebody who could also help push a broom around or carry 20Kg of files upstairs?

I am an employer as it happens! (and a powerfully built company director with a redbull stained 335d)

I have two disabled employees who work in a telesales/call centre role and are very good at it and hard-working because they really appreciate the opportunity. If I asked any of my telesales people, able-bodied or not, to use a broom or lug some files about they'd not be impressed losing valuable selling time and therefore commission earning time!

It's up to employers to consider disabled candidates fully and not dismiss them at the CV stage as I would rather they be earning and paying tax instead of endlessly claiming benefits and so would they.