Points system for immigrants from next year

I suspect single mums were working part time around their children

They are good people thinking about there families first

Oh come on GracesGranMk3! The ones who told me what they were doing admitted they were laughing all the way to the bank! Hence the scramble for more hours when the top ups from the government stopped.

As they said ‘it’s on offer, it’s not illegal, why shouldn’t I claim it?’.

The ignorance about why people behave how they behave in some of the previous posts is only equal to the arrogance of the people posting as if they would not behave in the same way, in the same position.

“Tell me how you measure me and I will tell you how I will behave. If you measure me in an illogical way… do not complain about illogical behavior…”

The people doing 16 hours have been sent an unintended message. All targets are have unintended consequences. Often they don't matter or may even improve things but in this case they have 'heard' that if they stick to 16 hours they will get a secure income. They are good people thinking about there families first. It's probably not not good for them or their future or for the state but please don't blame them for obeying the very nudges the state put in place.

I have a real problem with Zero hour contracts. No one should be forced to work under such conditions.
As for people having certain number of points to work here, I can see the sense in that, there should be a minimum standard to adhere to in the caring for people for example, but how can the farmers who need seasonal fruit pickers, which they say local people won't do, continue farming?

Well, it is also obvious that many do not understand that Zero Hours Employment contracts often state that those on such contracts must be available for work between prescribed times which can often be over ten hours.

Those working in the Gig Economy normally have contracts that state they must not work for any other employer but the one holding their contract.

So, how are such persons to gain consistent eight or ten hours of work per day and get off benefits when such employers and terms of employment exist in our society?

The root of the distaste for manual workers is still 'class' though, dragonfly.

It's ironic that we are apparently suffering from a 'skills' shortage when the entirely laudable purpose of extending the university system was to produce a better educated workforce.

I agree with Grandad. You need a degree for everything now, nursing, teaching etc. The old polytechnics were turned into second rate universities so vocational training is no longer on the table.
The younger generation in this country are brought up to believe they are failures if they do not have a degree even though often the only work they can get after the degree is bar work.
In the Netherlands vocational training is valued. They have Agricultural schools, Household schools as well as the academic schools. Working on the land is a valued occupation as their economy is based on flowers and vegetables.

Why unpleasant MaizieD? I just don’t happen to agree with taxpayers money being given away willy nilly.

Mind you that was under Labour.

No surprise there. They encourage state dependence. It’s in their DNA.

And anyway my post was factual. Those colleagues told me themselves about the gravy train and why they played along with the system.

In that, we have a process which is heavily geared towards academia and which teaches, if you sit at a desk working with a computer you are a success

I don't think it's the education system that's at fault, Grandad, it's our dreadful class ridden society.

I think quizqueen would have her go back to where she came from.

So, some believe that all sixty two million of us who reside in this country should go to farms and pick or dig up all the fruit and veg we require on a very regular basis all through the year.

Talk about living in cloud cuckoo land.

If Britain wishes to see more of its working population being attracted to manual work then it has to look to its education system. In that, we have a process which is heavily geared towards academia and which teaches, if you sit at a desk working with a computer you are a success. If you have to work with your hands long hours outdoors, getting dirty in all winds and weathers, you are a failure.

However, the second of the above is all too often far more valuable to our society than the first as we are now in the process of finding out.

Those who are choosing to just work p/t and then getting their wages topped up to full time level of pay with benefits need to move to full time work or lose the benefit altogether

I will give you a concrete example here of somebody I know. She comes from Syria via years in camps in Turkey. She is studying for a Masters and works part time doing community work.She admitted to me with some shame that she couldn't survive on the part time wages and was topping up with benefit. She keeps herself afloat, many other people afloat in the centre and is studying. What would you have her do quizqueen?

Well nothing really extraordinary Maizie, just the same old, same old.

What an extraordinarily unpleasant couple of posts from Ug and Kandinsky.

Which town has 58,000 carpenters? We should be told.

All those British scroungers who could easily be winning gold medals in wheelchair basketball are obviously going to get all those jobs in construction and picking carrots - job done. Since when was plumbing unskilled btw.? And as for all those stay at home mums getting their nails done when they could be working long hours in coffee shops . What about those pensioners who could be wiping old ladies bums.....

I doubt many people will be objecting to the new points based system ( not your average person in the street anyway )
Freedom of movement was mostly taken up by unskilled Eastern European’s or those in the building trade. It favoured white people.
At least now it’s a much fairer system allowing anyone from around the world to apply for work here - if we need their skills of course.
I’ve never understood remainers obsession with freedom of movement - maybe they just love having 58,000 Polish carpenters in their home Town?
Who knows?

I’ve never come across someone who works part time for tax credits

Well maybe not tax credits Nezumi but before I retired 5y ago I know of at least half a dozen part time, divorced or separated single mums who only used to work 16 hours a week in the hospital I worked at. The previous Labour government under Gordon Brown had introduced these top up wages.

No need to work ladies! Stay at home why don’t you - bake, get your weekly shopping and housework done - and the generous taxpayers will pick up the tab!

Then the balloon burst, that particular benefit was scrapped and I kid you not, they ALL scrambled for extra hours in work. One in the secretariat admitted to me that she was getting £500 p.m. why work more hours? She had 3 teenagers, not babies and enjoyed the life of Riley getting her ironing up to date and the big grocery shop done whilst us muggins worked full time.

That was also at the time their sons & daughters were being given £30 a week to stay on at school - an inducement to do ‘A’ levels.

Madness.

The UN btw described conditions for disabled people in Britain as a ‘human catastrophe’. So when you lap up and repeat the ‘disabled people are scroungers’ line that is what you are contributing to.

The government actually got rid of various grants for employers wanting to employee people with disabilities.

Many people who are blind, for example, want to work - but it can cost an employer thousands in adapting software etc. Previously the government would support that - now they don’t & the cost is on the employer (same for other disabilities).

They have also removed support for disabled individuals wanting to work so eg getting to work may now be impossible

Quizqueen you have no idea. Many people choosing to work part time do so because they they have caring commitments elsewhere. Who is going to pick up those? I’ve never come across someone who works part time for tax credits.

Your comments about disabilities are just ignorant & not worth engaging with.

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UK has had a points based immigration system for decades. All that is happening is that it will be applied to EU citizens. Exceptions are always allowed to meet an urgent and specific need.
This action just enables immigration to be administered fairly to all potential immigrants wherever in the world they come from.

Bed Blocking as it is so charming called, exists totally because the Govt has starved the councils of money and did not ringfence the money for social care so the councils cut social care.
In fact it would be so easy to put right but no-one is listening.

I forgot to mention you try and explain what you need doing to a non English speaker....try it!