Covid-19-related Universal Credit claimants will face sanctions for first time

If you’ve claimed Universal Credit as a result of the Covid-19 crisis – brace yourself!

From June 30, you’ll be under threat of sanction if you can’t prove you’re actively seeking work.

The Tory government is reimposing the threat of sanctions as it lifts lockdown restrictions – because Boris Johnson and his cronies intend to use the stick to get us back at work rather than the carrot.

Many businesses laid off their workers rather than try to pay their contribution to the government’s furlough scheme, and former employees may be – justifiably – unsympathetic to the idea of going back to work for those treacherous employers.

Some of those businesses may decide to re-employ workers with less pay and worse conditions than prior to the crisis, claiming that they don’t have the wherewithal to make a better offer.

Without government sanctions to support them, it is likely that their former employees would give them the cold shoulder and wait for something better to come along.

I mean, who would want to go back to work at a Wetherspoons pub after the way that firm’s employees were treated?

But if it’s a choice between working there for a pittance or receiving nothing – because the government will refuse to pay Universal Credit to people who turn down the offer… you see how it works?

It all adds up to a very nasty betrayal of working people by a government that owes us all better.

Oh yes – don’t forget that the Coronavirus hasn’t gone away. In fact, if schools are any yardstick, the disease will go back to spreading exponentially among anybody who does go back to work.

This also appears to be part of the Tory plan – which never wavered from the ridiculous “herd immunity” fantasy of early March, it seems.

While other countries have used their lockdowns to eradicate Covid-19 from within their borders, the evidence suggests that the Tories only wanted to slow down its progress through England.

With the partial lifting of lockdown, we see that the Tories believe English hospitals will be able to cope with new cases – and with new deaths.

Bear in mind the words attributed to Dominic Cummings, which I seem to recall were: “If a few old people die, who cares?”

Your problem is that these people were voted into power with a massive majority and cannot be moved.

If they’re happy to kill you for the sake of a wild half-cocked theory, then you are going to die. Ask your Tory friends why they voted for that.

Sanctions on benefits will return on Tuesday after a three-month freeze, as lockdown easing sees job centres open.

In March, the government said people on benefits and Universal Credit would not be penalised for 90 days if they failed to look for work, due to coronavirus.

Labour has called for an extension to the ban, saying there is an “unemployment crisis looming”.

But Work and Pension Secretary Therese Coffey said the return of “claimant commitment” rules was “essential”.

You may find this comforting:

Good luck holding the Tories to that!

Source: Coronavirus: Benefit sanctions to return as job centres reopen – BBC News

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5 Comments

  1. SteveH June 29, 2020 at 10:01 pm - Reply

    It is interesting to see that Leicester has gone back into ‘full’ lockdown
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-53229371

    Reference the DWP reinstating its ‘hostile environment’ many of those who switched their votes to Tories are unfortunately going to be in for a harsh dose of reality as to what life on benefits is really like under the Tories

  2. Joanna Woolston June 29, 2020 at 11:30 pm - Reply

    Well the Majority of the country voted this lot in and now were stuck with them until the next election, the Tories or the watered down version of the tories!!! The majority of the country Made their bed, now they have to Lie on it!!!!

    • Mike Sivier June 29, 2020 at 11:32 pm - Reply

      For accuracy: the majority of the country did not vote the Tories in. More people voted against them than for them. But we have a “first past the post” system that means the Tories were able to get a majority of seats, even though they didn’t have a majority of votes.

  3. Jeffrey Davies June 30, 2020 at 5:39 am - Reply

    The yolk of surfdom once again the peasants will feel iit

  4. Hecuba June 30, 2020 at 9:34 am - Reply

    Heads we win tails we also win say the fascist despicable tories and they are determined to rid themselves of all those ‘worthless women and men’ by re-opening job centres!

    As usual the fascist tories didn’t bother to collaborate with the staff who work at these job centres so coronavirus will be swiftly transmitted to individuals who are attending these Job Centres and find themselves coralled into tiny spaces!

    ‘The announcement came as the main union representing DWP staff warned that many jobcentres would be expected to open on 1 July without having conducted a proper Covid-19 risk assessment, creating a risk of staff and public getting or spreading the virus.

    A staff survey by the PCS union revealed widespread concerns that there was insufficient space in jobcentres to implement a safe 2-metre social distancing requirement between staff and claimants, as well as a lack of plastic screens and personal protective equipment.

    A jobcentre official said: “This is a major change but there’s been no full health and safety risk assessment that looks at how the public and staff will be kept safe.”

    Sure – just as fascist tories lied and claimed ‘well the herd method will ensure us fascist boys are kept safe but you peasants can all go away and die!

    Thanks to stupid individuals voting fascist tory this is what the rest of us are having to endure – ‘state sanctioned mass murder of thousands and thousands of women and men because the fascist tories are obsessed with accruing yet more profits!’

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/29/uk-benefit-sanctions-to-return-as-jobcentres-reopen-after-lockdown

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