Dutch city puts jobless back to work

[super jumbe]

For years The Netherlands has had the reputation of being a generous welfare state, but in some cities like Rotterdam this is changing: the jobless are now put to work to earn their keep.

In one of the city's old neighbourhoods, Jose da Cruz is cleaning the street as part of an innovative scheme that demands eight hours of cleaning a week in return for a wage from his new "boss" -- the Rotterdam municipality.

In exchange for picking up the rubbish, the unemployed like Da Cruz -- who have reached the end of obligatory Dutch state-funded unemployment benefits -- get benefits from the municipality and are trained to go job-hunting.

"If you need the help, the community will help -- but you have to do something in return," Rotterdam's deputy mayor Marco Florijn told AFP.




One way to get the fat unemployed back to work, couldn't do it in the UK as the Unions would get involved??

[ifred]

A bit less of the Daz Cruz and more of a brush up then Sounds a real Dutch name as well?

[Meat-Head]

One way to get the fat unemployed back to work, couldn't do it in the UK as the Unions would get involved***8230;***8230;

can we say fat and unemployed ***8230;[IMG]http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums/images/smilies/roflmao.gif[/IMG

in spain rhis is standard

[GastonJ]

Well there is an argument for doing this in the UK, however doing this means that all the people currently employed as street cleaners would be unemployed, would it not? That would then mean they'd have more unemployed who could be used to keep the parks clean, leading to unemployed park attendants. How long before the unemployed are used for building projects if you go down that route. On top of that I'm sure businesses will see 'cheap workforce' and so it continues.

TBH I'm surprised the Tories haven't taken that route, cheap workforce for all. Perhaps Dave Cameron should read DK

[Meat-Head]

gaston correct, your NOT putting a parking lot attensant, road sweeper out of a job, your complimenting them.

fat unempkoyed people SHOULD after the first 1000 posts or one year, be forced to look for a job, and fouck off these imported workers, that don't want to pay anythung

[ChaLeeBoy]

The unemployed have no objection to working, or training, provided that both are real, at the moment they aren't. If the people in work want the unemployed to work for benefits, at that poor rate of pay, and share the work, then I think it only fair that they themselves take a pay cut, so that they can share the pain. We don't want a perpetual underclass do we.

[ChaLeeBoy]

Solidarity

Another course of action that the unemployed could take is to offer to do your jobs, but work harder, work longer, and for less money, where feasible. Solidarity works both ways.

[GastonJ]

I don't think anyone *really* wants to be unemployed, I wouldn't think that of anyone. However I'm against employers (any, even the government) making use of them as cheap labor to drive wages down either - unless of course they allow jobs as MP's and banks to be 'given' to the unemployed as well.

The current recession was caused by banks, and those that allowed them, to overstretch themselves giving mortgages/loans to people who could never afford them, and for lots of stupid things the banks were allowed to get away with.

It is *not* the fault of the people who were made unemployed as a result. I don't want to be paying taxes to enable people to sit at home and watch satellite TV all day either. So when are the banks going to pay for all of this? that's what I and probably a lot of people want to know.

[shellbob]

Not all people are on the dole through choice its the ones playing the system that need to be challenged,my wages are low enough without being cut anymore!!

[Canker_Canison]

The unemployed have no objection to working, or training, provided that both are real, at the moment they aren't. If the people in work want the unemployed to work for benefits, at that poor rate of pay, and share the work, then I think it only fair that they themselves take a pay cut, so that they can share the pain. We don't want a perpetual underclass do we.

Another course of action that the unemployed could take is to offer to do your jobs, but work harder, work longer, and for less money, where feasible. Solidarity works both ways.

Lets get this right. There are four types of unemployed in this country.

Those that want to work, but can't find any.

Those that never want to work & are to thick to be of any use to anyone.

Those with disabilities who want to work but find it even harder to find suitable work.

And finally, those that use a disability as a reason not to work.


I fall into the third category. I have mobility issues that limit how long I can stand/walk before I'm in agony & crawling on the floor. But I'm far from lazy.

Much to the annoyance of the DWP I'm helping to keep a family business, that's on the brink of collapse, running. With the end goal being a way out of the benefit system.
But the DWP don't make it easy. There's no help what so ever. So I took advantage of a loop hole. With luck, and a lot of arguments I should be comming off the DWP's hit list soon.