Not entitled to fuel allowance because I did Jobridge

sunflower27

Yes... that is right.I am not entitled to fuel allowance because when I did my 9 month internship (completed inJuly this year), and although I was getting a SW payment, my signing on is considered stopped for its duration.

So I only have 320 days signing on instead of the extra 9 months of my internship.... which would have put me well over the 390 days needed for fuel allowance.

You know a system is bad when you are at a diasadvantage for trying to better yourself!

Was in my local SW office today and was told that while they really do sympathise, they are the rules!

sligoface

Hi Sunflower,
The same exact thing just happened to me. I had 325 days before I started this internship on July 3 and was unaware that participating in this scheme would have any effect on my fuel allowance entitlement as none of their materials state this anywhere. If I hadn't taken up the internship I would have had the 390 days. So when you factor that we are losing that 20 euro we would have otherwise been entitled to, we are effectively working full time for thirty euro a week or six euro a day.

I have contacted jobbridge and my regional offices to complain because this information is not located anywhere on their website or in the contracts they give you. They have told me that they are going to make it more clear now, but it's too late for us. Even if we leave the internship now we'd have to go three months before we'd get the fuel allowance again, and Nov Dec and Jan are pretty cold! But in my case, my internship is not going as i had hoped anyway, and this just was the last straw. I gave my one week notice and I'll never do any government free labor scheme again. I suggest you complain to jobbridge and to your regional office and ask who you can contact about it.

sunflower27

Hi sligoface

I went back to the sw office and spoke with a manager there about it. This has really riled me as I also had no idea that I would be ineligible for the allowance.

Also, if you do a FAS course, you are not entitled to the extra €20/week payment if you have not reached 312 signing on days (might be good for others to know this).

The whole Jobridge scheme was thrown together in a heartbeat with no thought to how it would work at all. Just more evidence it was created with no foresight.

Well, anyway, I went and spoke to the manager. My slavebridge finished in July. I told her how unfair it is that people who aretying to help themselves are penalised.

She went off for a bit and came back and said that she spoke with anothermanager and the matter has been put on the agenda for their next manager meeting. She also told me to look up the www.welfare.ie website and email in a complaint. I did that as well.

I will wait and see what will happen now.

The manager got to hear about my slavebridge experience as well

I would never do one again. If a business cannot afford to pay me, they don't get me. Simple.

Gormal

:eek: That's so mean, now where's the encouragement there if people know they will lose out on fuel allowance during the winter months.

Thanks for the heads up on that, I think you should get everyone to email them about it. I have sent them an email politely stating my opinion on the matter.

ABajaninCork

Scambridge

I'd give them a yell too. This is outrageous!!