General Chat

After the civil servant strike last Friday, has anybody else had problems receiving benefit. My 19 year old son is unemployed and currently receiving Job Seekers Allowance. He has to sign on every other Friday at 9.00. Last Friday (when he was due to sign on), I heard on the news that there was a one day strike which may affect job centres. I tried going on the JobCentrePlus site, to see if there was any mention, but there was nothing. He turned up to sign on at 9.00am to find that there was only 1 man on the door of the office, turning people away, and telling them they would be paid automatically. He was not taking names. My son was due to be paid last week, and when he checked it today, nothing has been paid in. This has unfortunately caused him to go overdrawn and he will now face bank charges. Has anybody else had problems, or does anybody work for the Job Centre who can explain what has happened and what kind of comeback we have. They expect him to live on less than £44 per week as it is! Sorry to ramble, but very mad at the moment - this isn't the first time they have messed him about. He was on an Ambition IT Course, attending 9 to 5 every day, getting an extra £10 per week. Because he reached the limit of 15 days absence, they threw him off the course. At the time they finished him, he was actually on a placement, which could have lead to a job!! Where is the sense in that? I thought he idea was to try and get them back into employment. To add insult to injury, whereas he used to get his money on Tuesdays, when they unceremoniously chucked him off the course (where I might add he had already taken 2 examinations in IT and gained 2 distinctions) they changed his payment day to Friday - what has happened to the missing 3 days money?? I am so annoyed because he could very easily have been sat at home for the 9 months that he was on his course, but chose to go out 5 days a week, as if he was at work, often staying through his lunch hour!! So, because he had reached his maximum, he finds himself off the course and with 3 days money missing. Rant over!!! Carol