Bexleyheath jobseeker "suicidal" after shabby treatment by job centre

5:05pm Thursday 4th October 2012 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter

A Bexleyheath jobseeker claims she's "suicidal" because of poor treatment by her employment advisor. A Bexleyheath jobseeker claims she's "suicidal" because of poor treatment by her employment advisor.

AN UNEMPLOYED woman from Bexley says she "seriously considered suicide" because she was treated so shabbily by her local Jobcentre.

Jan Briley, 57, signed-on with Jobcentre Plus in Bexleyheath after she was made redundant in April following a life of almost unbroken employment since the age of 16.

The Halcot Road resident was ordered in on Saturday morning (October 6) to be "disciplined" after accidentally missing an appointment with her advisor.

The former bank clerk claims she will have to travel in on a weekend simply to "fill out a form" as punishment for her "legitimate mistake".

She told News Shopper: "My advisor made me feel so bad I cried and felt like committing suicide because I don't believe I deserve to be treated in this manner.

"I am not a school leaver and after working non-stop for nearly 40 years I am certainly not a scrounger.

"I am a hard working respectable women who deserves a bit of respect and I hate the way the government and jobseekers are treating me."

Ms Briley also claimed she once tried to rearrange an appointment because she had to take her 81-year-old mother Irene, who shares her home in Bexleyheath, to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital to see a consultant.

She said: "His initial reply was that I should not be taking my mother to hospital as I should be available for work at all times but he relented after I asked him if he would allow his frail mother to go alone.

"To be honest if my mum didn't buy the food I wouldn't be able to eat at all."

The former Price Waterhouse employee says she has independently applied for around 700 jobs in the last six months, while her advisor has helped her apply for only seven.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "It is only right that people should do everything they can to find work if they want to claim jobseekers allowance, and this includes applying for suitable jobs and attending Jobcentre appointments.

"We have spoken to Miss Briley to discuss her concerns."

Comments(12)

keith O'Reilly says...
7:57pm Thu 4 Oct 12

How can you 'accidently' miss an appointment? You either attend it or miss it. If you have a genuine excuse fair enough but just forgetting ain't normally good enough. I don't forget to go to work. Didn't realsie Jobcentres opened on a Saturday.. whats going on there? Good to hear about the 700 jobs in the last six months. That therefore means there must be lots of jobs to apply to... so why ain't she getting them? Attitude might be one reason. One sign of someone challenging her and she goes straight to the press.. don't make an ideal job candidate does it?

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needsalife says...
1:46am Fri 5 Oct 12

What do you mean you are not a school leaver or scrounger. School leavers deserve respect too. Everyone should be treated with respect. Define scroungers.

Reality check here. NO ONE and I mean no one gets treated with respect at bexleyheath job centre. It is bad there. Probably to make people want work more than benefits, who knows. You are lucky you wern't accosted by the "friendly and helpful security team". Then you would have something to mind about. You are not the first person nor the last person who has worked for for many years only to find themselves out of work before retirement. You ain't nuffink special. Sorry about your mums health though. And don't forgetful bow and scrape next time you go there, as they do not like any one with a bit of gumption.

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MsChevious says...
10:09am Fri 5 Oct 12

She didn't attend her appointment so she's been asked to go in another time. Attending is compulsory if you want to claim. That in itself really isn't cause for complaint.

The attitude of staff is another thing - all job centres are a joke and the whole system needs to be scrapped and replaced with something which actually supports people in getting back to work.

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marty84 says...
11:52am Fri 5 Oct 12

Sanctions make people suicidal and it will be too late before they realize. Panic attacks while signing on have become a regular occurrence for me. It feels like there attacking me and looking down on me. The depression of being generalized as a waste of space not worthy of decent jobs or benefits is enough to send people over the edge. I choose not to kill myself but to attack back. I have to attack there staff to stop them attacking me.

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Guess who ;) AGAIN ! says...
12:24pm Fri 5 Oct 12

FFS get over yourselves. If you take 'the mans' money you play by 'the mans' rules.

PS, 'the man' is us the taxpayers !!

Go get a job, flip burgers, go cleaning, anything until something better comes along. Half the trouble is people are too picky what they wanna do.

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marty84 says...
3:44pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Guess who ;) AGAIN ! wrote:
FFS get over yourselves. If you take 'the mans' money you play by 'the mans' rules.

PS, 'the man' is us the taxpayers !!

Go get a job, flip burgers, go cleaning, anything until something better comes along. Half the trouble is people are too picky what they wanna do.
I consider flipping bugers and cleaning as decent jobs.

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Hello_Mate says...
4:06pm Fri 5 Oct 12

The job centre is all wrong. I mean, if you are made redundant through no fault of your own, you get nothing for 5/6 weeks BUT! If you get sacked, it's straight back to claiming - no waiting. Surely it should be the other way round? If you've deliberately lost your job you should be penalised not commended. When I was made redundant I was left feeling like scum, and didn't receive a penny AT ALL, even though I still had to go sign on. What a waste of time

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Guess who ;) AGAIN ! says...
8:12pm Fri 5 Oct 12

marty84 wrote:
Guess who ;) AGAIN ! wrote:
FFS get over yourselves. If you take 'the mans' money you play by 'the mans' rules.

PS, 'the man' is us the taxpayers !!

Go get a job, flip burgers, go cleaning, anything until something better comes along. Half the trouble is people are too picky what they wanna do.
I consider flipping bugers and cleaning as decent jobs.
Any jobs a decent job until a better one comes along.

Good luck to you.

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jackstevenp says...
10:30pm Fri 5 Oct 12

I've got no problem with the genuine people who are actually looking for work and signing on, I'm only 18 and i went to sign on, i never received any benefits anyway because i'd found a job a week later. But it's all down to attitude, half the people in the job centre sit outside with a can of booze, couple of kids, face full of stubble and haven't had a wash for a week and they expect to be given handouts when there's people who are genuinely making the effort to look for work, those are the people who should be rewarded.

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needsalife says...
2:50pm Sun 7 Oct 12

Also, bexleyheath jobcentre do allow appointments but it is best if you let them know before and not after the event. Good luck love. It is hard getting used to this way of life, but you can do it. And don't forget. Pride comes before a fall. Ask for help especially if it is offered.

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born n breed says...
12:04pm Mon 8 Oct 12

Some of the staff and know better than some of their customers.

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Gingerbabs says...
2:40pm Tue 9 Oct 12

My son recently left college and I went with him to Bexleyheath job centre and I can only disagree with the comments above. We have been treated with nothing but respect and have been given loads of help and advice in his search for work. We have been friendly and respectful to all members of staff and have received the same in return.

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