David Freud, an investment banker hired by James Purnell, the new Work and Pensions Secretary, said the disability tests used to award state aid were "ludicrous" and could be costing billions of pounds. Mr Freud's stark assessment, in an interview for today's Daily Telegraph, is likely to anger many Labour Left-wingers concerned about Gordon Brown's apparently tough stance on welfare reform.But he said the Prime Minister plans to press ahead with the biggest shake-up of the welfare state since its creation more than 50 years ago.More than 2.6 million people claim incapacity benefit at a cost of more than £12 billion a year to the taxpayerHowever, Mr Freud suggested that less than a third may be credible recipients while several hundred thousand work illegally on the black market. "When the whole rot started in the 1980s we had 700,000 [claimants]," he said. "I suspect that's much closer to the real figure than the one we've got now."Although it is impossible to quantify exactly, this means as many as 1.9 million people who are able to work could be claiming the benefit.Mr Freud - who has also influenced Tory welfare reform policies - launched a damning attack on the system that allows people to claim benefit, worth up to £81.35 a week. "If you want a recipe for getting people on to IB we've got it," he said."You get more money [than unemployment benefit] and you don't get hassled, you can sit there for the rest of your life. It's ludicrous that the disability tests are done by people's own GPs - they've got a classic conflict of interest and they're frightened of legal action. The rest of the article can be viewed on the Daily Telegraph website.
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You serfs will work until you drop. BY ORDER - Labour Politburo Member Taylor
http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/507641_what_a_sickener
A CRACKDOWN on sickness at Tameside Council is penalising genuinely ill people, it's claimed.
Public service union Unison says the policy is aggressive and makes people more ill through stress.
But sickness enforcer, Councillor John Taylor, says the policy has slashed the average number of sick days by a third from 12 to eight days per year, and in the last three months has saved the council taxpayer around £85,000.
Key to the policy is a trigger which comes into force when an employee is either off for more than 10 days or on more than three occasions in a year.
When this happens the employee is called in for an interview to justify the time they have had off. If they cannot they are given a warning.
"We've been totally opposed to the triggers since they were brought in two years ago," said Tameside Unison branch secretary Jeanne Smith.
"We never signed up to it because they are not fair on people with genuine illnesses and disabilities, particularly degenerative conditions. We've had cases of people undergoing surgery who've had written warnings and the stress of it all can actually make their problem worse."
The union claims staff have been treated harshly in some departments, notably health and social care where, according to Councillor Taylor, the average sickness rate was 23 days a year, which has now dropped to 13.
So first Taylor and now Purnell are in the game of stripping the sick of their dignity and forcing them back to work. These people are no better than the Nazis.
Hmmmmmm...wonder how they met? When Purnell was chairman of "Labour Friends of Israel" perhaps?
Perhaps if they want the sick to work they should try curing them?
Stem cell research may cure Parkinson's, for example. But various cranks and "pro-life" freaks object. (Wonder how many of THEM suffer from that or similar illnesses?)
My job is to see that managers carry out the councils proceedures on sickness absence ,my investigations and interviews clearly show that some dont and that some employees take many days off sick with out being managed the vast majority off staff take no time off and even work when ill ,I will continue to ensure that those who continually take time off sick are managed within the agreed proceedures ,we are all here to provide services we cant do it if we `are not in I have not had a day off for over twenty two years I have been ill many times but still gone to work because thats what I get paid for .
Well done to you both far to many scroungers.
Check this:-
http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/710B0AB0-ED44-4BD7-A527-B9AC29B28343/0/empfraud.pdf
In addition, intelligence suggests that staff fraudsters will sometimes appear to be ‘model’ employees and strong performers, partly in a bid to deflect attention and suspicion from their activities. In one major bank, of the ten top-performing sales people in one division, six were subsequently dismissed for fraud. Also, staff who are never sick or take little annual leave may be very committed or, alternatively, they might not want to be away for any extended period of time for another reason. There are many examples of staff fraud that are only discovered once the individual is away from the office due to sickness or injury.
Also this:-
http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.12930
"Research has shown in all companies investigated there have been many but varied early warning signs. This opinion is endorsed by conversations with several accountants who have experienced occupational fraud with some of their clients.
Signs have not been purposely ignored, they have not been recognised for what they are. Some examples include: arriving early and leaving late, working weekends when there is no apparent need and not taking holidays other than the odd days.
All of these signs are typically seen as being traits of a keen employee. They are also frequently signs, according to audit companies, of possible operational fraudsters"
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