Ringing Social Welfare

Priapus

Geees Louise!

Anyone try to ring their SW office? They will not pick up the phones at all. I find the best thing to do is ring just as they should be opening at 9.30. No such luck today.

Anyone else find this with their office?

IrishTonyO

Aren't they involved in a work to rule thing at the moment, i.e. not answering phones etc.

tommy21

Priapus wrote: »

Geees Louise!

Anyone try to ring their SW office? They will not pick up the phones at all. I find the best thing to do is ring just as they should be opening at 9.30. No such luck today.

Anyone else find this with their office?

Which office, there's more than one in the country!;)

I find they nearly always answer in Hanover St. in Cork, I've rang 5 times since I went on JSB back in September and 4 of those times they answered and dealt with my query on the phone. I find between 4 and 4.40 are a good time as they are winding down and more likely to answer the phone. All depends on the office too of course!

Priapus

IrishTonyO wrote: »

Aren't they involved in a work to rule thing at the moment, i.e. not answering phones etc.

Ahhh I see. That makes sense now. They have been letting the phone ring out, despite repeated attempts to get through.

tommy21 wrote: »

there's more than one in the country!

What use is that if you need to contact the office you are assigned to deal with?

Funkfield

If its urgent just drop into the office.

Honestly, even if you're queuing for an hour its better than having your claim closed.

Priapus

Funkfield wrote: »

even if you're queuing for an hour its better than having your claim closed.

Yeh I was thinking the exact same. Might be worth just heading on up and queuing. Cheers

tommy21

Priapus wrote: »

Ahhh I see. That makes sense now. They have been letting the phone ring out, despite repeated attempts to get through.



What use is that if you need to contact the office you are assigned to deal with?

Well it makes sense in that you could name the office, instead of starting a thread that runs them all down?

yabadabado

the work to rule is not a blanket ban its different offices/areas on different dates/times.its just a case of some offices are easier to get throught to

kd82

I'm having the same issue today with Kings Inn Street. I'd drop in but have an interview this afternoon. Very annoying

Balagan

The SW offices which answer the phones are the exception. Fact is that long before the work to rule kicked in, many SW office had stopped answering their phones. It is now increasingly difficult in many offices to even make an appointment to see a Facilitator, especially for those who go there in the afternoons to try to make an appointment. Often, in the afternoons, staff seem absent and some parts of the offices have the lights switched off. If, as a previous poster asserts, the work to rule affects different offices at different times, it would be something if the union would find a way to inform people of that schedule. But, who gives a damn for people who have already lost their jobs?

Nolanger

Can you send them a fax?

Colette X

Yes there are work to rules in different offices at different times but that is not the real problem. Anybody who has been in a Social Welfare office will have seen how busy they are when open - all short staffed any new staff drafted from other departments haven't a clue and no time to train them. Generally they will answer the phone when they have cleared the queues. You can understand the decision not to answer phones when there are queues at the counters. It would be very frustrating if you have been queueing for a long time and when your turn comes the staff goes off and keeps answering the phone. It's a lose/lose situation!

Balagan

What about the SW offices where there are, for large parts of three days of the week, more staff than people queuing and where phones haven't been answered at all for over a year?

Fionn MacCool

Galway City seem to be picking up the phones sometimes now, even if they aren't very helpful when they do. I don't understand how they think their strike was effective. Surely it's more work for them if they have to deal with my query at a desk than a couple of mins on the phone?

Fionn MacCool

Colette X wrote: »

Yes there are work to rules in different offices at different times but that is not the real problem. Anybody who has been in a Social Welfare office will have seen how busy they are when open - all short staffed any new staff drafted from other departments haven't a clue and no time to train them. Generally they will answer the phone when they have cleared the queues. You can understand the decision not to answer phones when there are queues at the counters. It would be very frustrating if you have been queueing for a long time and when your turn comes the staff goes off and keeps answering the phone. It's a lose/lose situation!

If they're short staffed then how about maybe offering employment to some of those people they're dealing with (or not, as seems to be the case!). I'd happily work for equal or even less pay than the current staff, and do a better job than them too.