S/W forcing the unemployed to do WPP?

LegacyUser

I'm on JSA, out of work over a year. I graduated with a degree during this recession and lost my unrelated job after that. I received a letter to attend a meeting yesterday with the local jobs facilitator to discuss my employment, training and education needs.

Without going into too much detail the meeting was a negative experience. Only one option was discussed, the FAS Work Placement Programme. For a number of reasons the WPP isn't viable for me, positions lack relevance to my degree, can't afford to lose €30+ p/w on expenses and concerns of exploitation. I said I felt I needed a combination of career guidance, re-training and suitable work experience. The facilitator would not tolerate any of my suggestions and tried to push the WPP on me to such an extent that I was being intimidated. I diplomatically said I would have another look at the WPP to ease the pressure off me. I was asked to sign a form to say I will look at the WPP but after signing the form I was told if I don't act upon it my claim will be reviewed which in S/W lingo could be getting cut off.

I am now worried that if I don't sign up to the WPP they will attempt to disqualify me for not co-operating with the facilitator or something. The FAS site says the WPP is voluntary but the facilitator's uncompromising attitude was ominous and has left me fearful that I may be boxed into doing it.

Is this the route SW are going down now? How do I deal with this?

LegacyUser

Why not lodge a formal complaint with the SW Office manager if you're unhappy with the way you were treated?

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/SW104/Pages/CommentsorComplaints.aspx

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/ContactUs/Pages/commentorcomplaint.aspx

And to answer your question: No

mrsbyrne

i appreciate that you found your experience with the jobs facilitator unpleasant. im afraid it seems you may have had unrealistic expectations about the outcome of the meeting. the fact is that when you applied for a jobseekers payment you agreed that you were looking for available for and fit for full-time work. not full-time work relevant to your qualifications, just full-time work, full stop. they are expecting you to co-operate with this WPP in the hope that you might get some thing permanent out of it, and sign-off your jobseekers payment. that is the Dept. objective pure and simple and they would be justified in claiming that they could not tailor each WPP to suit each claimant. i would give the WPP a go and try and be positive about it.you dont really have much choice. if you, or any body, feels they are being exploited a strongly worded letter to the jobs facilitator would be the order of the day

g_moriarty

I understand the lack of relevant positions available and losing €30+ p/w but just wondering how would a participating company give you reason to be concerned about exploitation ?

Slightly OT - I think the scheme is incredibly flawed and needs a major re-thinking. If the companies were obliged to offer even €50 p/w to cover travel and lunch expenses, it would be a much fairer scheme. The employer gets a skilled graduate for €50 p/w, the staff member gains experience and doesn't lose money by getting involved, the cost to SW remains exactly the same. What are these fas executives getting €100k+ salaries for when they can't even implement a simple effective idea like this.

Chaotic_Forces

The WWP isn't a job, you can't be forced to do it. You agreed to do The reason you were advised to do it, wasn't because it would "help" you. It was because once you do it, you're not classed as being on the unemployment registar.
Look here: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/JobseekerSupports/Pages/wpp.aspx

It's not work; technically you would be thrown off the dole, so to speak. You aren't forced to do it. If worse comes to worse just say you'd feel you could find a job while not on a volunteer programme.

whore

or that you feel being on a WPP would make it far more difficult to find gainful employment. If they start forcing people to do WPP's it's one step closer to living in a slave labour state, getting payed 4 euro an hour from the government to work 40 hours a week is criminal as far as i'm concerned. The only reason you should do a WPP is if you have a qualification and can't get relevant work due to lack of experience.

eastbono

If the WPP you are offered is not relevant to your qualifications turn it down. If you sw is cut off appeal this decision and explain that the wpp has no bearing on your qualification. Tbh putting someone with just for arguements sake with a degree in oh i dont know... engineering, medicine in a retail wpp is totally illogical and could be appealed.

Chaotic_Forces

Here's the thing, it's nothing to do with the SW. The WWPs are done by FÁS. If it really came to it, you could just say you want to do a FÁS course.

whore

Chaotic_Forces wrote: »

Here's the thing, it's nothing to do with the SW. The WWPs are done by FÁS. If it really came to it, you could just say you want to do a FÁS course.

^that. the dole crowd don't care as long as you 'appear busy' from what i can tell, last time i went to a facilitator i showed him stuff to say i was applying for courses and jobs and he just tried to tell me the ways i could get the best out of the social welfare while going to college.

Chaotic_Forces

whore wrote: »

^that. the dole crowd don't care as long as you 'appear busy' from what i can tell, last time i went to a facilitator i showed him stuff to say i was applying for courses and jobs and he just tried to tell me the ways i could get the best out of the social welfare while going to college.

It's not that, though. Since it's not considered work you don't have to take it as it isn't an offer of a job. It's not even about you having to "appear busy". It's just that you need to make a genuine effort to look for work and better have a damn good reason for not taking a job if offered.