Can a work ethic be instilled into shirkers?

WHILE I agree we need to do something about the number of economically inactive people, I think the Government’s idea to simply end benefits after a year is mistaken. The priority should surely be getting people into work as soon as possible after they leave school, so they don’t begin to enjoy staying at home all day. I come from a working-class family. At 15, I finished school on a Friday and started work on the Monday. I had no choice, as money was tight and the whole family had to pull their weight. You had to get any job to start with and if you didn’t like it, you went to night school (technical college in the evening) to get qualifications. As you were already working, prospective employers knew you were reliable. You couldn’t claim any benefits until you had a certain number of National Insurance stamps — so no work, no pay. If you were made unemployed, you would be sent for interviews and if you failed to secure a job after three of these, your benefit was stopped. School-leavers today should be given a choice: get a job or an apprenticeship, join the Armed Forces or sign up for community service. That would instil a sense of pride and self-worth.

DENISE TAYLOR, south witham, Lincs. I SERVED in the Royal Navy for 35 years and now live on a pension of about £1,300 a month. I was disgusted to read (Mail) about a young man who can’t be bothered to look for work because he gets £1,300 a month for doing nothing.

CHRIS READ, Chichester, w. sussex. I WAS a defence firefighter but in 1991, broke my back in three places. I was not paralysed, fortunately, and returned to work six weeks after leaving hospital. The thought of sponging off the state filled me with dread, so to help me keep going I visited a chiropractor for years.

It galls me to hear of people doing no work and getting paid. The shirkers need to be weeded out and forced to find employment. That would help them build confidence in themselves.

KEVIN DIMENT, Bournemouth.