Sanctions regime is failing, says TUC

23 Jul 2014 01:18 PM

Responding yesterday (Tuesday) to the Oakley Review of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) sanctions, TUC General SecretaryFrances O’Grady said 

“While this report identifies some important areas for improvement, its limited remit means the worst excesses of the current sanctions regime look set to remain in place.

“Jobcentre Plus staff want to build trusting relationships with claimants, but instead they are being made to harass them. With sanctions increasingly forcing people to rely on food banks to feed their families, a full independent review – which looks at all benefit sanctions and the culture of harassment at Jobcentre Plus – is now urgently needed.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The Oakley Review was commissioned to look at the operation of benefit sanctions imposed for the failure of JSA claimants to participate in mandatory back-to-work schemes. Its scope did not include: JSA sanctions for other reasons; sanctions in relation to other benefits such as Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance; evidence in relation to the effectiveness of benefit sanctions; or the reports and claims of league tables for sanctions, bullying of staff and setting claimants up to fail.

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