It appears that having a conscience can be a costly exercise. While some subvert their conscience to ‘perform’ their duties, others who hold to their conscience and principles can find themselves out of pocket and even castigated. The following freedom of information request asks what law/act is used by the DWP and by implication the Govt. to mandate their ‘customers’ into contracting with companies that may conflict with personal conscience. Interestingly, the DWP have not yet clarified this information. Should be an interesting response.
Surplus Labour
29 August 2011
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
On recently being proffered a, to me, unacceptable job opportunity
for consideration, I was advised by a Jobcenter advisor that I had
no right to object on conscientious or ethical grounds.
I was informed that all jobs on the DWP’s systems where pre-vetted
and deemed ethically “acceptable” by the “government”.
I would be grateful if you would clarify this situation for me by
answering the following 4 questions:-
1, Have I any right, as a jobseeker to decline making applications
for situations that would strongly conflict with my own personal,
conscientious and ethical beliefs without breaching my jobseekers
agreement?
2, Who or what department conducts the “pre-vetting” and how are
they qualified and selected for such work?
If it is considered that I don’t have the right to discriminate
between prospective employers offered by DWP or their agents on
conscientious and ethical grounds:-
3, How does this denial of my free choice to express my
conscientious and ethical objections in the choice of my employment
vary from the rights of non-jobseekers?
4, What specific law/s gives the DWP the right to control the free
expression of my conscientious and ethical beliefs in my choice of
who might benefit from my labour?