The Student Room Group

Should people on benefits do unpaid work?

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Some get benefits because they just aren't paid enough no matter how much they work - do you really think they could manage community work on top of long shifts? Others just can't work like stay at home mothers with children, they do this for a reason, do you think they could manage community work as well as looking after their children? Not everyone feels safe having a baby sitter around or sending them to a day care either.
In short this wouldn't be a fair deal at all, unless they found a way to single people out, which isn't gonna happen.
(edited 7 years ago)
Personally yes, work experience or volunteering or community work gives valuable skills that can't be given in a classroom and should assist in them being more desirable to am employer
It's a good idea they should do a day's work maybe planting trees or picking up litter
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 4
what, like ASBO level stuff?

no criticism tbh
Reply 5
Yeah just as long as said unpaid work isn't on the same level as paid work (e.g. let's say Tesco hired someone for work experience for several weeks but they did the exact same job as a paid member of staff).

Community work would be a lot better.
Wait, how can they do unpaid work if they're on benefits because they cant find work?
Yes and no

"Benefits" is a wide ranging term.

For those who have no skills, are able to attend some kind of training, then maybe.
Perhaps reward them by a higher level of benefit/ transport costs or extending a benefit time limit.

Despite whT many people think , there are many people on benefits who really do want a job but some skill level is lacking.

So long as it wasn't pointless work, or work done on the cheap to save money on a real employee, with proper training, then the opportunity should be offered. But just pushing a broom isn't going to motivate anybody- no matter how worthy the job is to a road sweeper.

Sometimes people like low skilled school leavers need to be taught a work ethic and be given a helping hand to develop a sense of pride in earning.

As a student I worked in a pub, a warehouse and factory both term time and holidays. It never occurred to me not to try. Even packing boxes can be "enjoyable" if you tune out a bit.
Reply 8
What happens to the people who get paid to do those jobs?

For example local councils employ people to plant trees and pick up litter. If we get people who receive benefits to do it then we're cutting people's jobs. That ends up with more people on benefits than before.
They tried it a few years back sending people to Poundland. As it turns out, that was against The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 23:

1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Only if they're paid minimum wage, i.e. typically considerably more than unemployment benefits.
Reply 11
Compulsory unpaid work eh. Sounds like a terrible idea
It's something people should be doing voluntarily, what you are talking about is forced labor.

In the winter we could make them shovel snow, stupid peasants should know better than to be unemployable... am I right or am I right !

I don't want to have to look at them during the summer months though, so we should reopen the coal mines and make them dig, DIG LIKE THERE IS WHIP CRACKING ON THEIR BACKS !!!

Also, why should children get a free ride all because there parents can't afford to keep them, bring back work houses and make them earn their keep. It never did Oliver Twist any harm.

If you really can't figure out why we don't have forced labor anymore for the unemployable then I dare think you might be coming close to workhouse 'employment' intelligent levels yourself, and should be eternally grateful that we don't use that societal model anymore.
Original post by almighty_crj
They tried it a few years back sending people to Poundland. As it turns out, that was against The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 23:

1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.


What you're saying may well be true, but what about Prisoners forced to do community service work?
Reply 14
People are on benefits

1. Because people from the third world are undercutting wages to sub-European levels.

2. There is not enough work to go round.
Many people work but are on benefits as their jobs don't pay enough. Maybe if it was to help people,who don't have much of an education, to gain skills but I don't think it should be forced.
Yes, unless they have a disability which prevents them from doing so or makes it very difficult or if they are caring for someone with one. Firstly because it's only fair that they're doing some work in return for their benefits and secondly because it will give them the work experience they need to help them find paid work.

They won't be forced, they will be volunteering in exchange for their benefits the same way everyone works in exchange for their salaries.
(edited 7 years ago)
Yeah, but the second you give some @sshat that control he will abuse it. At a local level someone is going to be in charge, saying what jobs need done and who has got to do them and do them for free. What you envision is naive.

Take a look at any of the councils in the UK, which one would you trust with this sort of responsibility ?

These are people that would, as a recent example, turn a blind eye to the mass rape of young vulnerable girls because it doesn't fit their political narrative. There would be workhouses, they would hand out jobs in their businesses or profit by sending their newly acquired slave labor to work for private businesses for undisclosed donations.
Original post by Galaxie501
What you're saying may well be true, but what about Prisoners forced to do community service work?

Article 29.(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
Original post by BaronK
Compulsory unpaid work eh. Sounds like a terrible idea


It isn't compulsory, you can always forfeit your benefits.

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