Britain’s Employment Minister Esther McVey told the Jewish employment charity JCom she would introduce new regulations to make Jews who refuse to work on Shabbos eligible for welfare benefits, The Jewish Chronicle of London reported Friday.
The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that there had been 50 cases of people from different religions being denied unemployment benefit at two Manchester job centers, where staff said that claimants’ religious observance interfered with their ability to work.
At least 15 cases involved Jews, five of whom had won tribunal cases against the DWP. In one case, DWP bureaucrats had failed for six months to tell a Jewish woman that her appeal had been successful and that she could claim thousands of pounds in denied benefits.
Jobcentre national director Neil Couling confirmed that not being available for work on a Saturday due to religious commitments should not prevent claimants receiving JSA.
The meeting between the minister and JCom had been arranged by Bury MP Ivan Lewis. “The DWP made it very clear that legislation and guidance leading to observant Jews being penalized was wrong. They are willing to put that right, and that’s a very important step,” said MP Lewis.
“But we will judge it on the facts and if Jewish claimants are still discriminated against, I will be the first to go back to the minister and say this is not what was promised,” he warned.
JCom director, Norman Younger, who led a campaign over the issue, said the “positive attitude” of Ms McVey and Mr Couling had given JCom the confidence to encourage unemployed Jews to seek support from job centres, “something we couldn’t do in the past.”
Photo caption: London Mayor Boris Johnson visiting the Jewish community in Stamford Hill during his reelection bid in May, 2012
(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)
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One Response
Ending dsicrimination would mean “reasonable accomodation” laws. This is merely saying the Orthodox Jews are eligible for welfare. It should be noted there is a big issue in Britain of discrimination against Christians, and this may be a politically correct of addressing the issue without alienating the secular majority.