Skip the primary navigation if you do not want to read it as the next section.
Primary Navigation
|
Home
|
|
Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.
Karl Clark from South Shields is 26. He has osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
‘I was a chef for over 10 years. At the moment I’m totally unemployable. My consultant thinks I’ll not be fit enough to do manual work again. He says I could do a desk job, but I’ve got dyslexia.
I gave up being a chef because of my unstable back. My back went once when I was carrying a pan of water but it was cold, otherwise my colleague would have third degree burns. I worked in fine-dining catering and I was on my feet all day. At the moment I can hardly walk or grip a pen.
First it was my back, then my hands swelled up. I tried to work, but they kept sending me home, saying I was not fit to work. They had to offer me a desk job, it was company policy, but they knew I couldn’t do it.
I have no clue what to do. I’ve got a house and a mortgage. I don’t know who’s going to employ people like myself.
Being off work is driving me potty. All my friends are chefs – they work 60-70 hour weeks, they don’t get much time off. It’s very lonesome. The Government is trying to get more people into work. I do agree that if people are able to work they should be at work, but it’s not suitable for everyone.
The system is not designed for people who have good days and bad days. It goes against the grain but you have to talk about the worst days you have. Before this I had never been out of work, on the dole or on the sick. It took me a long time to work out the benefits system.’
