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Harassment at CDG continues

Keith Parkins | 25.01.2008 16:22 | Repression | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements

CDG, Careers Development Group, run New Deal 'boot camps' on behalf of Job Centres.

CDG are contracted to DWP to run training courses and back to work intensive 13 week periods on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions. In reality a scam to massage the unemployment figures and to line to pockets of private training companies like CDG who are milking the taxpayers for millions and yet failing to do anything for those who are unemployed.

CDG are probably no worse than any of the other 'provision providers'. Bullying and intimidation is rife, corporate, institutional, institutionalised and individual.

 http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news614.htm#1

Jobseekers who have the misfortune to be sent to CDG are told they have to apply for at least four jobs each and every day.

This is way beyond what is required by the local Job Centres, by legislation and through individually agreed Jobseeker Agreements.

Jobseekers are told by CDG, if they fail to comply, sanctions will be applied, with the threat of the loss of benefit for 26 weeks.

It is impossible to find four jobs a day to apply to, not that is if one is to have a realistic chance of gaining employment. Jobseekers are therefore forced to play a numbers game, apply to any job to meet their daily quota, which is to waste not only their time but also that of the employer.

To help focus minds, from Monday, the bully-boys at CDG will be phoning every employer who has been applied to and following up every interview with a phone call to see how the Jobseeker performed.

This is an example of arbitary new rule made up on the spot.

This is harassment. It is guaranteed to piss off employers and negate any job prospects the jobseeker may have had.

It is also an appalling invasion of personal privacy and a clear breach of the Human Rights Act. Not that CDG has any understanding of privacy or security of personal information. They have been caught on more than one occasion illegally monitoring Internet use by jobseekers, have lost CVs entrusted to them, told jobseekers to hand to a job agency, passport, bank account details and national insurance number!

A recent meeting was held with officials from Basingstoke Job Centre. The clowns at CDG left the minutes lying around for all to see.

CDG is a tinderbox waiting to explode.

There was recently a kerfuffle when CDG threatened to have one jobseeker's benefit stopped because he filled out one of their time sheets incorrectly. The police were called, the office locked down, and the jobseekers sent home.

Jobseekers are being sent on employment placement (you do not get paid), a long way from home, without any prior discussion of whether the job placement confers any advantage to the jobseeker.

Hard to believe then that a bare-faced liar at CDG who struts around like a peacock with a poker up its arse, in response to questions from a Job Centre who were concerned at the abuses taking place, claimed everyone was happy!!!

Good news is that Members of Parliament are at long last starting to ask questions about New Deal and the amount of public money that is being poured down the drain.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=507942&in_page_id=1770

Warning: If you are a Jobseeker at CDG reading this article, you will be threatened with loss of benefits.

More on the abuses at CDG

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386689.html?c=on
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388044.html?c=on
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388504.html

Keith Parkins

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  1. more shit at CDG — cdg insider