A Dundee man has had £100 of benefits taken away from him by a government agency after he worked for free as an extra on the BBC show Bob Servant.
The claim was one of dozens documented in a new report by the Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network (SUWN) cataloguing the experiences of people sanctioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) at the Dundee Job Centre.
The unemployed workers’ rights group has said it is “shocked” by the treatment people suffer at the centre.
Their report states that there is a pattern of “disrespect” towards claimants and that requirements for job searches “fail to take account of mental or physical health”.
The current system appears to be designed to make being out of work as burdensome as possible, according to the group.
Hundreds of people joined the SUWN in Dundee city centre on Saturday to protest against government cuts and DWP sanctions.
The Courier recently revealed that Dundee had the highest number of sanctions being issued by the DWP in the country a means by which benefits are withheld if claimants fail to attend job interviews on time, for instance.
A DWP spokeswoman defended Dundee Job Centre, saying the advisers there “are working hard to help people into jobs”.
For our full report, see Tuesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.