Thursday 3 May 2012

The Cost of Parking

So it seems I have been parked: that is abandoned by the WP. I have heard nothing back from them at all. I still have the forms given to me to fill in, some of which remain unanswered because the questions are stupid and I frankly can't be arsed. Is this a good example of Christian charity? But then, it seems, the Salvation Army has form in this area: they subscribe to a strict biblical morality with all the divisiveness that entails.

Thing with being parked is that you are left in limbo: the claimant still has to search for jobs to fulfil the condition for receiving JSA and show his efforts, but he gets no support from the people that the public purse is paying for that. I'm not entirely sure this is a better situation. But then I don't really want to rock the boat when I go and sign on in case I get shipped off on workfare. This is an unacceptable state of affairs, and one that goonface Grayling will doubtless deny happens. The more these experiences trickle out the harder for him it will be to keep sticking his finger in to close the cracks in the dam.

What do I do? The cold hard truth is that, at least locally, there is no help at all. I don't know if I can swithc providers - in fact I suspect that's not an option at all. Once you're with a provider, any complaints about their service have to go through them. I've heard this from JC+ staff many times while waiting to be seen. It's a convenient arrangement: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Even then the other provider (JHP - via whomever they have delivering on the ground) is also operating from a religious establishment: they are hosted at the newer and more plush (but no less Christian) baptist church down the road. Perhaps god has cornered the market on the WP: after all IDS is himself a full on believer. I'd call him a zealot.

These schemes just cannot address the reality of the problems that are out there. For people like myself in rural communities, travel is a huge problem. I simply cannot afford to be travelling around because the cost of a bus ticket is £7! That's ten percent of my weekly income. There's no concessionary rate either. Why can't the government help with matters like this? They are after all quite happy for WP providers to have to find the means to refund travel expenses to appointments, but they can't recognise that the pittance amount of JSA just cannot cope with the huge and ever increasing bus fares charged by the private sector.

I don't really see any of this changing any time soon. Parking is a sign of the times: it's easier to just dismiss problems, take resources away from people (such as help and support) and focus on things that are easier to address: superficial problems that a photo op can cure. Meanwhile the rest of us are abandoned.

4 comments:

  1. All I can say is, keep copies of what you do apply for, cover your back. A4e has forgotten me, only because I spoke to the BBC did they "find" a jobsearch session every week (no drop in you have to be booked for one).. They offer no support, even my advisers vanish am on my 3rd now.. They know there are no jobs out there, they know no matter how many you apply for chances are you are still on the books, The other month.. the team leader said I have a friend at this place who is looking for staff, in a financial area, guess what i am not trained in it, no experience in it, and apparently according to them its been put on hold.. this was 6 weeks ago.. still waiting..

    It is not my job to chase a4e around, They are being paid by the state to do this job, since they cant be bothered they should at least be calling me about some jobs they applied for unless back to my other point, there are no jobs where I live.. And i agree with the travel, I live on the edge of a town on the outskirts so while I am not so bad.. I know how hard it is i bet most of the job centre staff/ providers drive..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The JC would argue that people have to pay to travel to work, but of couirse their transport expenses likely don't represent such a large chunk of their income.

      I try to make my jobsearch record cover the minimum, anything else I'm not interested in. If I subsequently find something that's suitable then that's a different matter. Of course that won't happen.

      Delete
  2. Being parked is fine by me, they do not help or offer support, as most know.

    Being unparked is what one needs to be concerned about. Lol.

    I have stopped attending the mandated jobsearch and await my sanction. I enquired at the JC to speak to someone about this at my last signing date. No such person! Hmmm? Though next time I sign I would bet there will be a manager or similar magically appear to 'discuss' this issue with me. Funny that! Or maybe not? A form shoved at me will not suffice!

    The complaint letter is getting there. Finding someone higher up in the provider management chain is proving difficult. I want to get that in the post before my next signing day. I tried sorting this with the branch manager, but with 'phone shop' mentality, he was rather ineffectual. So, aside from the strongly worded letter i plan to send I have made efforts to resolve this.

    The stress of an impending sanction is actually less stressful than attending the horrid provider! So, I choose to not attend until this mandation is lifted or reduced.

    As for awaiting a sanction doubt, ceasing the activity and taking the sanction route would seemingly be one of the only ways to address a problem and get (possibly) any questions answered. To get my side of the story across! It's a joke!

    I feel as though I have a case with regards to my treatment and how they went about this mandatory jobsearch. As you have said, they cannot arbitrarily decide to do this just st their whim. No discussion. And being deceitful all the while.

    Stuff 'em. They were out of order, I shall appeal.

    Take it easy GW.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If/when i do get 'unparked' I will not be particularly polite about it. I'm under no obligation to show any respect to these people, nor do I intend to give them what they obviously believe is their due, and I certainly won't respond to threats.
      My advice to you would be see what the CAB think about it. We all know that complaining to the people responsible in the hope they'll grow a conscience and some competence is desperate, but it's all they leave us with. Convenient for the pimps of course.
      Good luck.

      Delete

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