Public Servants Now Ask Private Businesses To Do Their Work

In 2008, it was Mr John McGuinness TD, once Social Protection.’

The recipient of our letter is a male aged 21 years, holding recognised University qualifications, who unfortunately like so many Irish born individuals is currently in receipt of €100 weekly, as an unemployed person residing in the State. To retain issues of privacy we now refer to this individual as Pat.

Pat has to the complete satisfaction of an accountant, supplied full documentation in every respect to The Department of Social Protection, from which he currently receives his assistance here in Tipperary. Since October last Pat has only been employed for an eight weeks contract, on a minimum wage for 18 hours per week, to enable the setting up of a new retail business venture.  His employer has made full returns to Revenue as required at years end, the true facts therein, thus generating this nonsense and lazy double check.

Implications In The Coming Weeks For Small Business & Thousands Of Unemployed

The document shown above was posted in Dublin city yesterday, postmarked 23/1/2014, at a cost to the taxpayer of €0.60 and received mid-day today. According to the date on the content of this communication, it obviously lay in an ‘Out Tray’ on some public servants desk for five days, before someone ran it through a franking machine and dropped it in a post bag.

Note: According to a female public servant at the Tipperary Social Protection Office and who refused to check Pats file, she claims that thousands of these letters have been already posted or are about to be posted to recently unemployed people, over the coming weeks. Same must be completed by employers supplying all necessary documentation sought.

The text of this letter states; “The Department of Social Protection has been notified by the Revenue Commissioners that, according to their records, you are working /having worked for/received a pension from ….

(a) Click on picture above for larger image and note that 3rd line of page one, names the last employer, and now blacked out.

(b) Part one, on page two, require the employer to confirm remuneration details paid to short contract employees, confirming details already supplied in many cases to Social Protection on termination of this contracted employment, thus doubling the workload on these employers.

(c) Since the original communication was delayed some six days prior to issue, based on the date shown on the letter, unemployed persons now have only 6 working days to respond to Social Protections request. Pat has been informed by his last employer that he must wait until time permits their accounting officials locate and copy payslips and time sheets.

(d) From our unemployed man’s point of view, who has already confirmed all of this information, two other issues now arise;

• Will he be cut his €100 if his previous employer fails to provide yet again this required information on time?

• Will he have enough money to attend an interview in Kildare in 12 days time for which he must expend €50 of his unemployment income in travel expenses, to attend?

(e) Since, as stated, Pat is aged 21 and has only worked six weeks in his entire life, how could he be accused of being in receipt of a pension?

One cannot feel but genuine sympathy for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr Brendan Howlin and Minister of State, latter with responsibility for Public Service Reform, Mr Brian Hayes, as they both now attempt to implement overdue reform on a specially protected and over paid organisation controlled by unions who in turn protect deliberate daily incompetence, latter which is begun at the highest level and is silently sanctioned by other servile supervisors through the downward chain of command.

We invite your comments please.