Hi all,

I work as a volunteer adviser at the CAB in Bradford, which is one of the areas in which "StepUp" is currently being piloted, for those who don't know what this is- its a new deal pilot scheme for folk who have been on one of the New Deal options and still not managed to find work- these people are then sent off to a "service provider" in Bradford its a company called IMS and have to apply for a number of jobs in their "jobs log" the individual who gets a StepUp job is payed NatMin for the length of the placement 50 weeks, by the DWP, not the employer, and the employer gets a 50 quid "training allowance/fee" from the DWP for each job.

Now this might be bad enough already- forced work, subsidising employers etc, but for folk who don't manage to get a job through the "jobs log" it gets worse. These people then are referred back to the DWP who determine whether their failure to find work was their own fault- and sanction them accordingly, and then simply give them a job, starting the next day with either a private employer or the council, from what i understand so far with no right to refuse without losing benefit...

Basically my question is anyone else familiar with this scheme, and does anyone know what clients can do to avoid being forced into work they don't want?

Thanks

Hi

I must confess I've not heard of this particular scheme before, but as an ex New Deal Personal Adviser, the best advice I can give anyone being sent for a job they don't want is to ask the boss 3 perfectly legitimate questions....
1) How much sick pay do I get?
2) How strictly do you follow Health and Safety regulations to ensure employees safety?
3) Which trade unions are represented here?

That usually does the trick, and the adviser can't touch you with "Refusal of Employment".

Steve