Forced to work?

Question

Have they actually thought about this?

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20071212/tuk-force-parents-to-work-say-tories-6323e80_1.html

There is very few Companies that offer shifts that fit around school, most are very family unfriendly. what about summer holidays and term breaks what happens then?
I think they are targeting the wrong people here what about all the druggies and the alchies on the sick they should be targeted first they can quite easily work if they were forced to stop their habit. Why encourage a druggie to take the drugs? would it not be more prudent to give them nothing and make them work!

Your opinions please.

Guy.
I'm not making excuses at all i manage a few single parents in my team and i work for a massive company and they are very child unfriendly indeed.
And i'm not with my partner to whom i have my son too however, i feel a child needs to have Their mother there with them thats why i have no problem with paying more money for him. Some women are not fortunate as that and could very well struggle to have their child looked after if they are forced to work.

Answer 1

i think children need their mothers at home during their formative years, why have them if you can't be with them ? but there comes a time when a woman should return to work if capable and i agree that there are other ppl the government should be targeting, long term unemployed, those scumbags who refuse to get off their ar.ses, those who could work if they really wanted to, if no jobs can be found they should have to do voluntary work for their benefits 2 days a week voluntary work would still leave 5 days for searching for jobs, the community would benefit it would give these ppl a sense of worth and could well lead to a permenant job. most mothers do an excellent and difficult job why should the government make the job even harder by forcing us back to work when the children turn 4. i don't blame the companies for being child unfriendly, they are there to make money not provide a paid holiday camp so that you can take time off willy nilly all over the place. working and being a mother is very hard and i think we don't get the credit we deserve. xx

on seconds thought lets all go and work where guy does, me thinks that company is one in a million, the career i have had in the past will not and cannot survive like that. maybe if the government provided decent childcare AT COST it would make more financial sense for mothers to go back to work but where is the sense in forking out £600 in childcare so you can earn £800 and pay tax on that ??

Answer 2

i am a republican in america. as such i believe that 1) socialist policies to compensate parents who don't work are wrong and 2) socialist policies to LEGISLATE people to work are wrong. and i don't understand why one is being replaced by another! just remove the socialist benefits without legislating that parents have to work!

in america, most women work because they have to, and they would much rather stay home. Mostly we get an animalistic sort of thing where the richer ppl can afford more kids and a stay-at-home mom and even nannies while the poor make do with 1 kid and work to support day-care. Very darwinian. Every animal does something like this in nature, with those with larger territories or better skills making more babies. No state assistence or LEGISLATION involved.

i would feel very angry if someone told me i HAD to work when a child reached a certian age. This doesn't take into account the child's needs (what if the kid is retarted or gifted?) or the mother's financial situation -- what if she saved up a lot when she was single and working as i am? having the state decide for you also robs you of your freedom and responsiblity to save up enough money and then have kids -- if i knew i had to go to work when the kid was 4, i'd probably spend money left and right on junk instead of saving.

Answer 3

I think this new campaign is going to be more damaging than good.
When parents are out working let's say, 9-5, where do the kids go?
If they have family members to help out then it's not to bad but, if they don't it can be a struggle so a lot of kids end up on the streets causing trouble while the parents are in work and then we as a society wonder where it all went wrong.
Childcare is also very exspensive too.
I'm lucky because I work at a school as a midday supervisor so I get the same time off as the kids(paid) but, if one of them are poorly, I've got to have the time off as I have anyone to mind them while I go to work.
I agree that the Government target the parents and not the wasters.
They have to look at the whole picture and take the childs needs into account too.

Answer 4

I was a single parent on benefits for years. I put myself through university and ended up £15,000 in debt. It was a real struggle, I had no money and life was very hard. But I knew that there would be an end to it because I was getting an education. I got a good job and now I don't need benefits any more.
The government should be focusing on giving single parents training, education and help with childcare. That is the biggest thing they could do to help women get out of the benefits trap.

Answer 5

The problem with "forcing" addicts to work, how do you do that?
I live in the US. The one mother I know well who was forced off welfare by being forced to work, got some training and started to work. But after 2 or 3 years she apparently found it too taxing and went into drug trafficking instead. Of course she uses also.
Now that she's not working or on welfare, she's no longer monitored by anybody, so she does as she pleases. The only pressure that affects her now is the school system that gets on her case if the kids don't go to school or do their homework.

Answer 6

Yeh i believe they shud. my mums single wiv me n my sister (4) n shes worked since i was 1, and since my sister was 1 and a half. she was shelling out £600 a month for my sisters nursery. Once the kids are in school, what else is there to do? I think not working is unfair to all the other singles who do cos they take the money that the singles (and others) have earned and get it for free. Im not saying everyone doesnt work because they are lazy but i believe everyone who can work should. Im 13.

Answer 7

If you're on a drug maintenence programme you are as healthy as anyone else. I, personally, don't care whether people use or not providing they're stable, perhaps there should be a contract where the medication comes with the provision that you take part in society along with everybody else or lose your prescription and get reduced benefits. Don't think addiction in itself need be vilified, anti-social behaviour, on the other hand, should.

Answer 8

You will find some of the bigger companies are very familly friendly. We both work & our son goes to nursery for two days a week. Both of us only work four day weeks. We do the same hours but over four days. My mum has our son for half a day & vice versa. Both of us on occasions have needed time off on the day & its usually not a prob. I think personally you're making excuses. If you wanted to work you would. There is always a way, it may be a compromise, to get around things.

Alright. maybe be forced to work is a bit extreme. But at the same time you have now stated that you manage single parents where you work. Thats pretty cool. They have made an effort. What me & my partner do is dam hard. It takes a lot of effort 100% of the day severn days a week. We both do long hours & yes sometimes I think is it worth it. But from previous experiance there are people that can not be bothered. Its not just a few people either. Call me sad, but its about taking responsibilities for your actions. I hate the type of male that has two kids, for example. leaves his partner . then has another two kids with his new partner. But for some reason thinks he is exempt from paying for his first two kids.

Answer 9

How would you force a druggie or alchie to stop most of them have severe psychological problems it is the dealers which need to be taken out of circulation.Whilst in prison they should be forced to work for their keep.

Answer 10

I think benefits are handed out way too freely in Britain. Why do the working population have to provide for all the rest? I also think that it is VERY important for all children to see their parents getting up and going to work. Too many people stay in this vicious circle of not working and claiming benefits.

But of course, every case is different.