Thursday 8 October 2009

No Computers again!

Thursday again
Another wasted trip to the Job Service Provider - no computers again..... the fight is going out of me but I still tried to highlight it to someone.
When I mentioned it to the manager he had the audacity to say I would find a job soon so then I wont have to worry about it.
I tried to explain unsuccessfully I t feel, that this is not just about me but about everyone who is promised support in job hunting.
Besides that, how will I ever find a job if that is the SUPPORT they offer?

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Health and the Mature Worker

"Much is being written about the value of retaining and recruiting older workers. The advantages of having mature employees-baby boomers and members of the Silent Generation preceding them-are well known. They tend to be stable and loyal. Most are highly skilled. Workers with long tenures possess workplace experience and institutional knowledge that is difficult, if not impossible to replace"

The article then goes on to demonstrate the savings in health care etc when older employees stay in the workforce and rthe positive impact on health.
Maybe our government should be offering more incentives to employers to keep older workers.

Read this article in full at http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-137019342/benefits-keep-mature-workers.html.

Now THIS IS a good siite

I would recommend you take the time to read these postings on the TALK.SAGECO.COM link below

http://talk.sageco.com.au/2009/09/

A Positive Note

At last a professional agency that is seeing the benefits of the older worker rather than trying to place you in menial jobs. Its worth a visit

http://www.adage.com.au/

Well if I wasnt depressed before this will do the job!

I decided I would do a bit of digging around to day to find out what exactly the government were doing to help the older worker. There have been policy paper after policy paper and little real effort put into anything that would be an incentive to challenge the discrimination in the recruitment of workers.
I have never ever felt discriminated against because of age until recently in Australia (I work overseas also) but I am really disappointed at the attitudes here now.

This is compounded by the staff at places like centrelink and as I have said previously the Job service providers, the recruitment companies (these are definitely the worst offenders!!) and even the universities - where I have worked for the last 30 years.

The following link put the "icing on the very doomfilled cake"

http://www.aboutseniors.com.au/index.php/articles/category/world_of_work

the list of jobs from the older workers site indicates the level of value that we hold in the community#http://www.olderworkers.com.au/index.php You will note that the top job on this is a personal care worker and the assistant at Sizzlers!

It is certainly time we took some cohesive action and began to demand some sort of affirmative action from the government. All these reports and documents which are disseminated to suggest that the government are doing something are meaningless unless they are backed up by some incentive. You cant tell a 25 year old recruiter to start placing 50+ people in a job - it just doesnt work unless you giver her a reason to do so.

Please write to me if you are concerned about the situation and we can begin to make our voice heard. Let's not go down without a fight!

Remember this situation is often worse for women than many men. You may recall that women were simply not able to pay superannuation until much later and for those who were divorced many were left without a superannuation payout and many simply cannot retire.


Monday 5 October 2009

Job "Dis-service" Providers

I feel like I am turning into one of those grizzly old women that complain about everything.
Maybe I am just like that! But, to tell the truth I am fed up to the teeth with the lack of service from the government supported job service providers. They are feted as the governments commitment to the unemployed or newly unemployed.

Last week I walked over again to the "job service provider" to attend my mandatory sessions...you may remember I am contracted to attend their office twice a week or else I am in breach of contract and will not receive my unemployment benefit. I walked into the office to be told immediately that there were no computers and to come back tomorrow.

Am I the only person who finds this unacceptable? That little trip took 3 hours out of my job seeking that day and what is more the response from my "consultant" was "Oh well, there is nothing I can do about it". These people are funded to provide a job seeking environment for people and they cant even get together enough computers. Whilst I was there two other people arrived and were sent home also! How disrespectful.

The next day I did the same thing - again NO COMPUTERS and no chairs to sit in!

The next day - again the same thing! !!

Last week I wasted 9 hours trying to fulfill my obligations. It is ridiculous.

Does Julia Gillard have any idea about how her initiatives simply are not working?? Does she even understand that not are they only not working, they are turning recently unemployed job seekers into the long term unemployed?

When I asked the "job services consultant" why they continue to accept people when they do not have the facilities or staff the reply was "Centrelink just keep sending them and we have to take them!!"
So, is the real issue the Centrelink staff or the contractedf Job Service Providers?

I have had some responses from people who have experienced exactly the same lack of support from the particular job service provider.

If you feel you are not being fairly treated please leave a comment. The more people start to voice their concerns the more chance they have of getting an appropriate and helpful SERVICE in place.
After all if you dont find a job then you become a long term unemployed!