my job centre are putting terrible pressure on me . they keep telling me to apply for jobs which are not suitable for me . an example was a job in a shop which was for a warehouse person to take goods to the next floor. there was a lift but stairs had to be used with small items when the shop was busy. heavy lifting involved. they have it on my file that I have copd and also lung damage from radiotherapy. I have just had to move from my upstairs flat because I found the stairs were becoming unmanageable. especially carrying shopping etc. does anyone have any ideas . it has me so stressed out.
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natalyab
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Yes. Get the support of your doctor and ask him/her to give you a letter stating what type of work you can and cannot do, and if necessary get them to limit the hours you can work as well. I did this when I was signed on and they only made me go for jobs with no more than 30 hours a week. I wasn't made to go for unsuitable jobs though.
If you explain to the doctor what is happening then I find most of them very sympathetic and their main concern is your wellbeing.
Meantime if you have to, apply for those jobs just to keep them happy. You probably won't even get an interview if you know what I mean! Let us know how you get on please. x
Oh one more thing. if the doctor tries to charge you for the letter kick up a stink and remind them you are on benefits! My doctor was brilliant and hand wrote the letter for me to avoid the charges as she said she didn't agree with them! x
That is horrendous treatment you are getting from the jobcentre. I agree with cal, go to your doctor & explain your situation & see what he/she can do. You could also give the BLF a phone as I'm sure they will be able to give you advice.
Try not to worry, you will get help!
You must get the support from your doctor. ..
Remember the people working in the job centres are only doing what they been told to do.
You need to ask to speak to a Disability Specialist, my JSC's has so I presume they all do?
No one can ask you to work in an environment that can or will affect your health. It may be worth looking at ESA that way even if you get on the work related group they have guidelines that should help.
Hi Nataly,look at this from a different angle,the good thing about these jobs is the fact you can,t do them.When you contact the firm for an interview explain that you won,t be able to do the job.I,m pretty sure they will be straight on to the job centre asking them why their time is being wasted,saving you the trouble.Don,t get stressed it is not you that is the idiot in this scenario it,s just the job centre trying to reach it,s silly quotas.I,m looking for an empty box shop even though I can,t lift a box above my head,I reckon I could just kick it along the floor but where are all these empty box shops?The Tories won,t tell us!Good luck and Don,t worry.D.
Arghhh don't do that please Nataly. Wait and see if you are invited to the interview and then make sure you tell them about your illnesses. If you do that before interview your benefits may be sanctioned.
Having worked for a job centre for a while, the staff have no option but to obey the rules. They are not made by them but by Government directive. If they didn't follow the rules they would be discliplined and sacked. Most of them are sympathetic and aware of the stupidity of the rules but there is no choice if they want to keep their jobs. They have targets too and are micromanaged like in any other job these days.
For example they had orders to get the over 50's back into work so kept trying to send me on silly courses to learn to write cv's and letters etc. Considering I have a degree and worked in admin all my life this is ridiculous but the thinking is that you are out of work because you don't have the skills, not because of a lack of jobs or the transport to get to some of them. The Jobcentre staff live in the real world, the Govt. don't.
What I did every time they tried to send me on a course (around every 6 months), I went to the doctor who gave me a sick note. This bought me some time and then I went back to signing on. And so on. Eventually I could claim my private pensions and sign off thank goodness.
Another point - if the Jobcentre ever do sanction you go straight to the doctors and get a sick note. You wouldn't get JSA but you would get ESA. Ok? x
Ha ha FarmerD. I was once 5 minutes late for a an appointment with them and my advisor was very nice and said no bother this time but next time we will have to sanction you. They are killing people. x
I had all that for one year after a stroke they badgered me so much I was stressed ,I thought they were so brutal no human rights ,appalling way to treat. Somone who was struggling ,I had to wait til I retired to get any money or help. Abuse!!!do not let them beat u up,get more help.
I saw a disability women at the JC I explained that I was very vulnerable that it was important I did not get a cold or the flu as this would damage my lungs further and the damage could never be repaired, she said what about working in asda on customer service.
This is why I bang on and on about people like us being awarded benefits when are all the political parties going to realise COPD is not like a broken leg that will heal this system that MR Brown brought in will only work for people who need short tem illness not chronic health conditions.
Slightly off track but one of my employers HR asked my manager to ask when I would be back to work? Even though they knew I was in a coma in hospital! It is not just DWP that get it wrong.
When I worked for the DWP there was an employee in hospital seriously ill. The DWP insisted on seeing her and were prepared to go to the hospital to do this. Her consultant told them to b....r of. The poor woman died a few weeks later. x
Yes I agree but the rules and sanction was a long term plan of mr Brown the system worked very well before he broke it, I'm sure if the system was changed back to pre Brown we would not experience anything like this it does make you wonder how this last lot of refugees will get on when they enter the uk
Hi Nataly. Im in exactly the same position as u bn forced 2 look 4 work, even telling me 2 try meat factories which r way 2 cold for ppl with our symptoms. I dont disclose on application forms i have copd in fear of not getting work. The system is brutal all the best 2 u. Xx
I got called in a few years ago was officially signed of by dwp doctor at time , but the person in job centre was still looking for something for me I had a major back op consultant said didn't want me to do any thing as said I must not do any thing that involved sitting long ,standing long ,walking or lifting so job centre suggested I be a security gard I ask how was I suppose to run after people he said you could check lorries in and out of factories so could sit and stand and move when i wanted to I said you have a job like that his answer was well no we don't, as soon as I said im on morphine for pain he said well no point us try to find any thing then don't worry about it , never got called back again
I had to go into the job centre + to sort out some form problems when I had to stop working due to SOB and walking difficulties along with a few other things.
The girl at the desk took my papers saying "I`m not supposed to do this, but I will! give me your phone number and I will phone you at home".
She did phone me and she arranged assessment for PIP and EESA... and work related short term contribution sick pay ( as I was self employed ).
I got both and was put onto the support group, this gives you the option to look for work if you feel you can work... or no harassment from the JB+ too look for work.
This may be an option for you, either way you have nothing to loose by asking and perusing a life that suits your condition and needs.
It's different when you are on ESA and PIP. I found most advisors at the JCP very nice and helpful. Did you know since the cutbacks in the care system and all the people on WGESA (Work related ESA), job centre staff have no choice but to be unpaid and unqualified social workers on a much lower salary? My sister was a manager there for years and the number of people she helped above and beyond the call of duty was legion. She felt so sorry for them she felt she had no choice.
Give you an example, a young lad always signed on with an older man and she was concerned (as he had learning difficulites) that he was being abused. Anyway she managed to get him reclassified as a 'vulnerable adult, and he got a lot more help as a result. This goes on at every jobcentre as a matter of course now - unpaid social workers. x
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