The Department for Work and Pensions has defended Jobcentre staff from accusations they are unfairly hitting Dundonians with sanctions.
Figures show sanctions have been wielded more often in the city than almost anywhere else in Scotland.
The government agency, however, said they were being used correctly in cases where claimants were failing in their responsibility to seek employment.
The DWP has come under fire from the Church of Scotland, which fears the use of sanctions is hurting destitute Dundee residents in their hour of need.
A spokeswoman for the agency said in response: “The vast majority of benefit claimants do the right thing and look for work, and the small percentage who don’t risk a reduction to their benefits.
“There is near-record employment in Scotland and Jobcentre Plus advisers work hard to help even more people get jobs.
“Jobseekers’ responsibilities to look for work are explained clearly at the start of their claim and claimants can always ask us to look at the sanction decision again.
“People who are in genuine need can apply for hardship payments and if someone disagrees with a decision made on their claim they can appeal.”
The issue of sanctions has become all-pervasive in Dundee, which has some of the country’s worst areas of deprivation.
In July, a welfare rights group stormed the offices of a city firm helping people into employment to protest about the imposition of “pointless unpaid work” and the use of sanctions.
The Church of Scotland also believes that sanctions are being used excessively within the city, leaving many jobseekers and their families without money for weeks at a time.
The Rev Graham Taylor, vice- convener of Dundee Presbytery’s Society Committee, this week told The Courier he believes a change of culture is needed within Jobcentres.
The latest Government figures show that sanctions were used against Dundee benefit claimants on 3,996 occasions between April 2013 and March 2014.
That number decreased during the period April 2014 to March 2015, though the 2,348 sanctions still outstripped that imposed by many other Jobcentres.