Where’s the work ethic when jobless won’t take jobs?

I REFER to Jayne Dowle’s column (The Yorkshire Post, November 13) regarding social mobility. While people are paid enough to live on in benefits, they do nothing to “earn” and the status quo will not change.

There are more job vacancies than unemployed people to fill them so why are we still paying them to stay at home and then recruit abroad? If a job needs to be done, it should not be considered “beneath” anyone.

“Dole money” used to be paid after community work such as clearing snow etc had been completed for a certain length of time. At least this kept the work ethic alive.

From: Mrs Valerie Moody, Little Smeaton.

I ALWAYS enjoy reading Jayne Dowle’s column and usually agree with her sentiments. However, I rather think more stick than carrot is necessary to educate some people regarding their work ethos!

In 1958 when I was 22, I was forced to leave my job of five years due to a period of extreme bad health. On being told by my doctor that I could return to work, ideally on a part- time basis initially, I visited our local labour exchange and was given an appointment for a job interview in a nearby town.

It would have necessitated three buses to get there and I told the lady what my doctor had advised. She said I would have to provide a letter to that effect and I duly obtained the letter and took it straight back to her. She told me that my benefit had been stopped for six weeks because I had refused to go for the interview. I then, within two weeks, found myself a position nearer home and so long before the six weeks was up I was once again at work and I have never received a penny in unemployment benefit in my life.

Why was this system abandoned? Harsh in my case as it was, it would solve a lot of our problems today.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

SO we are now going to block benefits to migrants, are we? I’ll believe it when I see it happen.

From: Mr R Thomas, Leyburn.

I AGREE with Tom Richmond (The Yorkshire Post, November 15) about jobs in the countryside. Why should the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs not move out of London and be closer to, say, the Yorkshire Dales? It might give politicians and civil servants a better idea about life in the real world, and the need for flexibility to help rural enterprises to flourish.