If ever there was a reason to end Universal Credit AND the DWP, it is in these vile comments by staff
Amazingly, there will still be people who defend Universal Credit, the DWP and the Tories who inflict them on us after reading what follows.
The Mirror has published details of recordings passed on by a whistleblower, featuring comments about benefit claimants by DWP staff.
They demonstrate exactly why claimants win the majority of appeals against benefit refusals by the government department, and prove what we knew all along – staff are biased against claimants.
Read the comments for yourself:
Department for Work and Pensions Staff were recorded making the slurs working at a call centre in the Midlands.
One [benefits manager] advocated blowing [claimants] up with a grenade, another accused them of getting money for nothing while the disabled were accused of “faking it.”
In one disturbing taped conversation a manager says: “The police sometimes have sting operations where they gather people together.
“We should nominate one person to throw a grenade in.”
Another reveals a case manager railing at claimants, who can be out of work because of ill health.
They rant: “It does my head in. They’re getting something for nowt, they don’t really have to do a great deal to get it. And they still whinge.”
Another says they “have absolutely no time” for claimants with depression and anxiety.
A regular caller with four children, including one who is severely disabled, is branded a **** after a call.
One manager asks: “Has she got a disabled child?” before another says: “She’s not disabled. She acts it.”
Surprisingly, the DWP has said it is taking the claims about its staff’s behaviour seriously, and will take appropriate disciplinary action where possible.
But after years of dealing with this organisation, I wonder if this is just embarrassment that somebody has been caught, to be followed with scapegoating.
Source: Universal Credit staff taped making disgusting comments about claimants – Mirror Online
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Jobs centre plus advicer speak very badly. behaviour very bad.
Presumably all these DWP people are in Serwotka’s union/ Why isn’t he reading them the riot act?
That’s a big assumption for which you have no evidence.
I’ve known many folk working at the DWP – all members of the union.
Has any claimants like myself tried ringing the debt management number 0800 916 0647 it hangs the phone up on you without even getting a chance to speak to anybody it does the same on both the options 1 or 2 so if you get a letter about the money owed so you can ask for the repayments to stay the same or be lowered to a amount what a person can pay back it’s disgusting how they treat disabled people and people who are on benefits
Conservatives hate people on benefits and have now started to target poor pensioners as well. I don’t like Jeremy Corbyn but all benefits claimants and pensioners should vote Labour.
The dwp think they can treat people like something they’ve dragged in on their shoe. I would like to see them trying to manage on universal credit. Imagine them having to wait an extra 5 weeks for their wages!!!
How evil can they get? probably reading this and laughing. . . when I went for my pip interrogation they actually had my 2 specialists hospital reports & reports from my Dr.. so saying people are acting is very hard to do I would imagine?
I just wanted to say Mike, that I have been coming here for a good few years now and I pop in more or less every day. Not many decent sites out there for the info, that I am interested in. Thank you Mike :)
I do not do FB or such hence writing it here.
Thank you very much! It was always more likely to reach me as a comment here!
Yeah I agree universal credit is a disgrace trying to get people with mental health issues depression anxiety ptsd and disabilities to go out and work when people can’t even go out of there own home there’s people out there that are killing themselves cause of it and getting paid buttons and people starving even there poor kids haven’t got food to eat and there saying people are faking there disabilities yeah aye right maybe some people do fake it but what about the ones that don’t it’s just a pure joke now I think universal credit should be scrapped and loads of other people would probably agree with me too its just not right.
This is typical of the culture of hate engendered by the Tories and the main stream media where the lives of benefit claimants,the disabled,the homeless ,refugees etc are regarded as worthless.Sadly large proportions of the great British public have bought into this narrative,hence the rise in hate crimes and the climate of fear in which we live.
It’s a joke I have learned differentlys. And have trouble spelling as well I’m not good .with paper work. I need help all the time and when I try to ring dwp. And say I don’t understand its or ya bracking up and then they hang up the phone. This has happened so meny time’s u just don’t know what to do.
From: Simon M-J – Bristol
I have suffered from long term ill health and spent time in the local offices.
I have seen some individuals being very abusive towards U.C. Staff – this, understandably, is bound to cause frustration amongst staff.
Attitude may frustrate staff and, rather than everyone highlighting these issues, some understanding should be proffered.
Perhaps some additional training may help under what, at times, must be very challenging circumstances?
Personally my experience has been one where I have been looked after by people who have been kind and supportive.
One problem must stem from inflexibility and poor understanding from the public. Yes their must be some people who are ‘working the system’, but there are many of us with genuine claims. Some claimants will not appreciate that the person dealing with them is not appreciated, on an inadequate wage and doing their best under challenging circumstances.
I have found that people are quick to criticise and slow to show appreciation. Traditionally the British have been known for good manners – better schooling might help in the decline of basic courtesy? The U. C staff and teachers may point to a ‘tick box culture’ that has krept into our society.
Civil servants should remember that they should be politically neutral. I do not want to see more civil servants, just better trained and appreciated.
Regards
Simon – Bristol