Poundland Graduate Cait Reilly Wins Appeal

[bonus2010]

Poundland Graduate Cait Reilly Wins Appeal




A graduate who was forced to work at Poundland for free has won an appeal, in a blow for the Government's back-to-work schemes.

Cait Reilly, 24, from Birmingham, had argued that being made to work in the discount shop for nothing while she looked for a permanent job was illegal.

Jamieson Wilson, 40, an unemployed HGV driver from Nottingham who was stripped of jobseeker's allowance for refusing an unpaid cleaning role, also won his legal challenge.

Lord Justice Pill, Lady Justice Black and Sir Stanley Burnton, sitting in London, ruled that the regulations behind most of the back-to-work schemes were unlawful and quashed them.

The pair's solicitors claimed the ruling meant anyone docked jobseekers' allowance for not complying with the schemes could demand the money back.

Labour accused the coalition of being "incompetent" and unions hailed Miss Reilly a "hero" as they called for the programmes to be scrapped.

But the Government pointed out that the judges had agreed requiring people to join the schemes was legal, meaning they could continue.

Employment minister Mark Hoban said it would appeal the ruling while also drafting new regulations immediately to remove "any uncertainty".


More....

http://news.sky.com/story/1051035/poundland-graduate-cait-reilly-wins-appeal

How on earth are people expected to get jobs in the private sector when the private sector employers are benefiting from 'free labour'? Well done to Cait Reilly!

[Lainie]

Oh gawd. Im looking for a new job now

[bonus2010]

Ohh.. I'm ok about working for 'free' so long as everyone works for 'free' Must be the communism in me

[Snowy79]

At least the work experience she had with the museum came in handy. After getting her degree and having a paid job with the museum before it was stopped, then working voluntarily for the same museum she was then forced to do two weeks work experience for poundstretcher stacking shelves. Fast forward to today and quess what job she's doing ? Stacking shelves for a Supermarket.

[GastonJ]

Lucky escape, the government would have made her stick at this job:

A German job centre has apologised after offering work as a hostess in a brothel to a teenage girl, according to a local newspaper in Augsburg, Bavaria.

The 19-year-old's mother screamed when she saw the letter offering her daughter the work placement, the Augsburger Allgemeine reports.

The head of the job centre was quoted as saying it should have asked the young woman before sending the letter.

BBC News - German job centre's brothel offer shocks teenager

If the so called jobseekers and agencies in the UK could get away with it they would.

[racin-snake]

goes to show the governments regulations do not work and some (more than this instance) are just not legal

i concur and

WELL DONE CAIT REILLY FOR NOT ROLLING OVER AND TAKING IT UP THE JEER

[bonus2010]

I caught some other information elsewhere about these private companies who are sub-contracted to get the unemployed back to work, like the one Cait could have been involved with... these companies are given money by the government when successfully getting a JSA claimant back to work.. figures I've heard is like ?1,000/month for the first three months & if in employment for two years .. ?13,000.

Also heard from Shiella Gilmour MP who is on the work select committe that Cait already had previous retail experience. I doubt that having two weeks work experience with Poundland which amounted to cleaning floors and stacking shelves would have had much bearing on her current job working in a supermarket. Cait doesn't come across as a person wanting to refuse work of any type.. she is only keen to pursue a career in her chosen field, where masses of public money has already invested. My annoyance is companies like Poundland and others who are actively working with the government to exploit the unemployed through having them do 'free' work which is what cleaning and shelf stacking is... not a skill!

I'm sure also the Tory government is looking after the shareholders and friends of private companies contracted to the DWP.

[racin-snake]

Oh gawd. Im looking for a new job now

there's one at poundland going ..

[Lainie]

there's one at poundland going ..

erm no thanks . wouldnt get the hours i need.


again just for info its not working for free when you get your housing benefit and council tax benefit paid as well.


housing benefit is changing for under 25s as will a lot of things.


parents are responsible for their children not the state.

[GastonJ]

housing benefit is changing for under 25s as will a lot of things.


parents are responsible for their children not the state.

And the abused ones must stay at home and continue to be abused or live on the streets with no help then? Welcome to Tory UK PLC and their supporters who have the slogan "what's in it for me?"

Oh and you're right it's not working for free.... it's working for employers who know they don't have to pay anything since the taxpayer will pick up the bill so that the employer can get cheap skivvy labour for free. I don't see how cleaning floors and stacking shelves could be called training in any way shape or form.

[bonus2010]

again just for info its not working for free when you get your housing benefit and council tax benefit paid as well."

Can you tell me how much money Poundland, a private company were paying Cait? I think it was NIL ? I'm I wrong?

parents are responsible for their children not the state."

.. this is news to me, as far as I'm aware this hasn't been the case for decades.. when people have children - up goes the benefit

[jordigirl]

parents are responsible for there kids i agree with that
but upto what age ? a thought they were responsible for themselves at 18 ??

[GastonJ]

parents are responsible for there kids i agree with that
but upto what age ? a thought they were responsible for themselves at 18 ??

ah bet yer were hoping to offload yours soon

Oddly enough my kids couldn't even rent or buy a house until they were 25 without me signing away part of my life, and leaving a lung and a kidney as collateral.

I've still seen nothing put in place to protect the abused ones though, search as I might. Perhaps the Tories and Liberals think that the elfs will take care of them. In some places I'm sure the faries would, but the wrong type of fairy and for the wrong reasons.

[Lainie]

I dont think there should b an age limit. U are always responsible in my opinion. I couldnt.leave home till i could afford it end of. My mum didnt kick me out when child benefit ended!!! Now its worst as parents that dont work get ?75 per week per child!! The children of these parents are being brought up thats its ok to live on benefits. My partners x is always wanting more money from him. She says she pays for this that and everything. Sorry hen u dont pay a damn thing the state does


I dont know what companies get paid to take on unemployed but im sure its not ?1000 a.month. the aim is not what type of job they get to do more getting into a working enviroment and getting out of bed before lunchtime etc.

[GastonJ]

That's all very well Lainie, but what about those that can't stay at home? It's all well and good for you to tell us you weren't allowed to leave home until you could afford it, good for you, but those that are forced from their homes through no fault of their own? Should they just stay and be abused or worse, harmed/killed, because the government says that they won't help them?