Private enterprise eh?11:56 Jul 26 2011
Times Read: 824
On Monday, I felt the need to contact the dole in lieu of my email to Keith Jones in respect of my appointment next week at 15:00 on the 28th July 2011
As my Father has an issue over phone use during the daytime I had send my enquiry by this email.
I had recalled what had been said to me by Mister Jones, "Do remember that this programme is mandatory..." And, as I said then, 'I do.' But, the dole say the same and, they pay my benefit: That is why I now start walking to sign-on earlier than I used to, as I can no longer walk as fast as I did, thanks to my spinal injury. Now, I sign on at 14:30 and what with their caseload, jobsearch and signing-on and, my appointment with Mister Jones being at 15:00 I do not think in retrospect that I will be able to make the latter appointment, even if I do use public transport.
For that reason, I thought it might be helpful, to all parties, if my next appointment were re-arranged, as I have no physiotherapy next week, as I am awaiting news of a back specialist, I could meet any 'new' appointment arranged, for me. The problem had been the appointment system that Ingeus use, which is an email system, that seemingly can’t take requests for rearrangement, hence the visit to the dole. Needless to say, they had a ‘special’ phone-number to use and I got what I wanted, news of a probable new appointment.
At the same time I learnt that my jobcentre advisor shouldn’t have made a fresh appointment to see me, as once I was allocated to Ingeus the dole have no responsibility for me any longer, bar the signing-on bit.
Effectively I am still unemployed, though as I’m with Ingeus, I’m not classed as such, which is convenient for today’s unemployment figures. That immediately reminded me of Thatcher moving people from unemployment to invalidity in ‘80’s.
Just before I left the office I said, “I felt it interesting that the faces I saw there were the same faces, the same old faces...” “Maybe that’s because they’re all the same faces you see on training courses?”
Yet that’s the point. There had been no difficult clients; no alcohol users; no heroin users; in effect, it looked like the programme seems to be picking its clients: and, I’m not unemployed anymore, although I am.
All this from a company, note the word, that makes money from my unemployment, that my research shows that the company got its contract by donating money to the conservative party.
It all seems wrong to me, particularly when one takes into account that money has been taken from the job service and, made many of their staff unemployed and paying out large amounts of redundancy.
Meanwhile, I’m not classed as unemployed, although I sign-on every two weeks and I don’t have a job, while ‘the dole’ no longer has responsibility for me.
And, as I see thus far, because of my age and experience Ingeus cannot offer me anything new; anything that courses haven’t ‘offered’ before ~ and, certainly NOT a job. And meanwhile, jobcentre staff lose their jobs and money is withdrawn from yet another public service. Private enterprise eh?
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