Sanction News

Peter Syles

A man who applied for more than 60 jobs in a fortnight while protesting against “draconian and demeaning” government policies has been battling JCP officials reported the Guardian newspaper.

Peter Styles, a copywriter and public relations executive who has been unemployed for a year, been sanctioned by his local jobcentre – for not searching for “broader” employment.

Ms Styles says he writes up to 15 job applications a day. – even applying at the request of jobcentre staff to be a “personal shopper” and “grocery colleague” at local supermarkets.

Ms Styles said his mistake was to have “voiced my opposition to government policies which I thought were unhelpful and meant to keep you down … I have a good work record and was really trying hard. But the process is patronising and staff can be unhelpful” The communications specialist put his skills to use – publicising his experience in a blog that has gone viral; registering more than 9,000 hits, over 1,000 Facebook shares and hundreds of messages of support.

This publicity has concerned JCP officials who say that staff named in his blog might mean they would have to be shifted to other offices as they may be targeted by anti-austerity campaigners. There are moves to get Styles to remove the blog entirely said the Guardian article.

The pressure is taking its toll the Guardian continued. Styles says he “has been signed off by the doctor for a month, and consequently have had to end my claim for jobseeker’s allowance. Currently I have no means of support whatsoever and feel in a strange limbo-like position.”

Styles says he is “thousands in debt” without his benefits and only surviving with the help of friends. In response to his complaint, the Department of Work and Pensions wrote to Styles apologising for not “seeing him on time”. The jobcentre wrote back saying “The ‘draconian’ measures … are part of government policy … I have looked at the complaint that you have made and can assure you that we have correctly applied the policy in your case. [There] is no appeals process for policy issues.”

The ABC adds: JCP sanctions are being reviewed by the DWP Work & Pensions Select Committee. We understand their findings will be available before the General Election. This will be welcome news for those who use Jobcentre Plus. In the meantime we wish Mr Styles the very best of luck and hope his situation will improve. Mr Styles' blog can be viewed at dwpvendetta.wordpress.com