After waiting for about 10 minutes a woman came in and told us her name was Dolly* and who switched on a flat screen TV on the wall in front of us which had the first page of the information booklet that we were all handed at reception. She then proceeded with today's lecture by reading out the first page of our booklet that was highlighted on this flat screen TV before reading out the second page, and the third page all the way up to page 13.
After that was done we than had a woman called Velma* take over the lecture and who give us more or less a scripted Seetec/JobPath talk. I won't bore you with the details but I will highlight some of the things she said during her lecture.
Some of Velma's* quotes:
"And its not a course" - Then why have I to do a C.V. course? I told you all on my last post that they would put me on one!! Even though there is nothing wrong with my C.V.
"On the programme" - You got that right, it is a government programme run by a private company no less!
"This is a confidential service." - How can that be as whenever you are talking to your job adviser in public by the way, anyone who is near can hear everything you say as can other Jobseekers who are using the computers to look up jobs. So no its not a confidential service, as my adviser was typing my details into the computer I could hear and see another adviser asking a girl who was less than a 20 feet away from me personal questions and there was another adviser right next to me as well who was talking to a woman not more than three feet away and I could hear everything she said as well as whatever question he asked her, so again NOT a confidential service.!
"Just to learn a little bit more about you, as we currently stand, all we know about you is the information we received before this meeting this morning is your name, address and PPS number which would have been detailed on your letters, aside from that we know nothing..." So this private company wants even more of our personal information.
"I can't stop moving my hands" - She did have a habit of moving her hands when she was talking and it was very entertaining to watch, she reminded me of one of the Thunderbird puppets with her hands moving up and down as she talked, all that was missing were the strings!
"1000 people on JobPath in Letterkenny alone. 1000 people coming though the doors here every week." - So thats why the unemployment figures are down then. But seriously if there are 1000 people on JobPath in Letterkenny alone and 1000 people coming though the doors every week, then how many out of that unemployed 1000 actually get a job? A job that they want not one that is forced upon them just so the JobPath/Seetec employees get a bonus and to say that people have found a job, if its the jobseekers that are finding these jobs then thats great but if its JobPath/Seetec that is finding them then thats not good at all as there are all about getting people into any job just so they can get paid a bonus. I don't believe for one minute that there are 1000 people going thought the doors each week, it will be more like 1000 each month, can the JobPath/Seetec employees prove these figures as fact and not fiction?
(The first bit up to "right now" is said in an Irish accent but with a bit of a Yankee twang just like Velma*)" Although the atmosphere feels really horrible right now, its not always like this believe it or not, as time goes on you'll probably start to see that, erm, as people it is quite a sociable place as well and people come in and do the job search" - A bit like the dole office then!! As for coming in to do the job search people have no choice as if we don't go in we get our money cut. I can job search at home but no I now have to sit in their building every week for an hour and a half just to look up jobs on their computers.
"Your information in terms of data protection is securely kept here." - Unless our information is stored off line or in a filing cabinet (which it wasn't and isn't) than its not secure as ANY computer connected to the internet can be hacked. My adviser was putting my information into a computer that was connected to a wireless WiFi network!!!!
(61%) of organisations have had at least one data breach in the last year!
http://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0119/846140-data-breaches/
"And you are given a copy of everything that we wrote down in relation to you, so anything that is typed into the computer you take a copy with you on the day" - Whats the point of having a copy when all your personal information is being typed into a computer that is connected to a WiFi network that could be hacked!
"We are a private company delivering a government contract there's no hiding that and its not something we're ashamed or embarrassed about" - No of course there is nothing to be ashamed or be embarrassed about forcing unemployed people onto a government programme that is run by a private company!!
"You move off the programme when you move into full time employment of 30 hours or more per week" - How can this be when it clearly states on the Citizen Information website that the program lasts a year (52 weeks).
http://whatsnew.citizensinformation.ie/2016/05/03/know-your-rights-jobpath/
"If your not successful in moving into employment, we will complete an end of programme view, that would be everything you have done with us" - Which contradicts what she said above about only moving off the programme when you find work for 30 hours or more.
Not their real names*
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