Jobseeker figures fall

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/1/business-news/81520/jobseeker-figures-fall-in-rochdale

My next door neighbour suggested to my 17 year old son he should get a job with a company where he worked. He gave them my sons mobile number and he subsequently got a job with them through A Recruitment  Agency. The very next day my neighbour was laid off as there was not enough work. This is a man with a family needing an income. Within an hour of my neighbour being laid off they asked my son to do some shifts. My neighbour had a good work record with them.

These shifts were at a time my neighbour could have been working. I believe they do this as they don’t want agency staff to have employee rights. I suspect that they lay people off after about 8 weeks as employee rights start at 12 weeks.

My son now has completed two days working for them and they have now said they don’t have any more shifts even though they are still recruiting through the Job Centre and taking on young people. My neighbour went in to the Job centre today and they said they were aware of this but was not doing anything about it.

My sons experience is not a good one for his first job. Bullying is rife in the way they speak to staff. Having worked in a warehouse I have never been spoken to or threatened with the sack like he has in two days. To be threatened with the sack for leaning on a table whilst he was filling in a KPI sheet is ridiculous. In addition he has had to pay for a uniform costing £23 approx for what appears to be three days work.

The turnover at this company is high and this could give the reduction in employment figures a misleading figure. I am sure this is not how we want anyone to be treated in the workplace.

It's an employers world and is likely to continue to be so for many decades to come. Gone are the heavy industries requiring thousands and gone also are inept and self-serving unions leaving the field wide open again for the employer. There will always be bad employers who are willing to use the law to suit their purpose. And there will always be, from now on, employees desperate enough to work for them. 

Most of the employment agencies now are set up for short term work, and some for foreign workers, and are not very helpful for anyone else. This arrangement of short term contracts causes a lot of problems. Employees are expected to put up with long hours, poor and unpaid training, with ignoring safety regulations, and generally being treated as a disposable commodity. It's a harsh environment for young people trying to get a start.

Protection under the 'law' can only be exercised by a willing participant. Laws make little difference when 'need' becomes a greater more pressing factor. We shall see a much more willing 'law-breaker' were the employment laws are concerned as the pressure to 'survive' becomes greater both from employers and employees. A strong buoyant economy is required for everything to be 'as we would like it'. It's not. It isn't going to be for a very long time. This country will need a very radical shake-out to ever regain that which was probably it's 'finest hour' before the 'law' can ever be said to be truly enforceable.