Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 41 No. 1. February 27 1978
Just because you can't see the Dole Queues...
Just because you can't see the Dole Queues....
During the holidays Len Nightingale and two other students were involved in the Wellington Trades Council's employment advice service. As they put it the job cast them in somewhere between the positions of professional social worker and full time union official, despite the fact that they had virtually no experience of either. This is their report;
By now the realities of unemployment have been experienced by most students looking for jobs in the last few months yet many people — particularly those whose economic position is secure — refuse to believe that the unemployed are not personally responsible for their plight. Manning a photographic exhibition in the major shopping areas of Wellington fielded comments like, "most of the unemployed can get jobs, all they have to do is try," "a lot of them are lazy and don't want to work," and "If they were willing to shift they would get jobs."
Well the situation is bad. In the two weeks ending January this year unemployment officially rose by 1720 to 28,498 and it is still going up. It is now fairly common knowledge that unemployment is higher than it has been since the 1930's. Those who have lost their jobs are not lazy. Nearly all of the unemployed want them back: in fact this is a prerequisite to survival in the registering process. Most of those now unemployed are unable to shift because of family and financial circumstances. If they could, the only place to go is overseas. Emmigration figures show those that can are leaving.
How the Government Hides Unemployment
1. | The old dole queue has gone: the benefit is now paid by mail. The unemployed are thus kept isolated from one another and cannot organise easily into an effective pressure group. |
2. | The tangle of the bureaucracy is such that people are discouraged from applying, and those who do frequently lose their morale, letting their application lapse. As always this problem is most severe among the least educated and articulate. The bureaucratic machinery comes under greater and greater pressure as unemployment mounts. Administrative foul-ups become common and "many people eligible for benefits are denied them or suffer uneccessary delays. |
3. | Relief workers and those on special work are spread throughout the work force. Although this may seem to be admirable as it helps protect the dignity of those affected, it also serves to disguise the fact that large numbers are engaged in relief work. Often only the worker himself and his boss know the circumstances of his employment. |
4. | Government policy is aimed at defusing potential political embarassments rather than confronting areas of the greatest need. Students are a case in point. The directive for the student work programme came straight from the Prime Minister's department. Students, a potentially well organised group, have been quietened by a million and a half dollar subsidy.Another example of the same technique, though not nearly as effective, was the fiasco when the Department of Labour was moved into Todd Motors behind the unions' backs. When it became obvious that the mass layoffs at Todds were going to attract significant publicity, a special work scheme was quickly set up specifically to absorb Todd employees, ignoring those already unemployed in the area. |
5. | Many of the worst affected do not come up in the statistics. Second family income earners, usually women, and school leavers under the age of 16 are discouraged from registering. Though they can if they are willing to work in excess of 30 hours a week, the excercise can only be viewed as pointless. They cannot get any benefit and the Labour Department's job placement service must therefore give them a low priority. |
Children are thus kept at school and women are discriminated against. No account is taken of the necessity of a second income to a family's welfare. This usually comes upon an already depressed situation because of the lack of overtime.
The Government's two Pronged Attack
The government is dealing with the rising social problem of unemployment on 2 fronts. The first of these may be called the problem of unemployment, the second, the problem of the unemployed.
The first involves the pontificating about socio-economic problems, the creation of social legislation leading to some relief work and benefits and later, at convenient times, the easing of restrictions in politically crucial areas.
The second, in its simplest form appears in statements such as that made by the Rt. Hon. Gordon, Minister of Labour in the Evening Post on 8th January 1978. -there are vacancies for those who are prepared to go out and get them.(sic) -If people don't care about their presentation when approaching an employer they obviously will have difficulty getting a job.
Mr. Gordon, in the above, treats the unemployed as if they were responsible for their own predicament. Such statements are unfortunately all too easily believed and the real issues hidden from the public at large. (In Australia this has developed into a fully fledged campaign against the 'Dole Bludgers').
The Unemployed as Criminals
Unfortunately this attitude is present in the relevant legislation. Not only are the unemployed treated as if they were responsible for their plight but they are seen as social deviants. If they are deemed to have no visible means of support they are termed rogues and vagabonds and are liable to be jailed for being idle and disorderly. Upon applying for a benefit, personal particulars are submitted under the threat of a prosecution if anything is found to be untrue.
Once completed, the form's validity is ignored completely while the applicant's history is investigated. Once the benefit is received the applicant's freedom is restricted in a way reminiscent of a probation term. If he fails to turn up to the Labour Department at the appointed time each week he loses his livelihood. It is no wonder that overworked government officials begin to treat every applicant with an inherent suspicion, especially if they do not conform to normal (middle class) standards of dress and behaviour.
Under the onslought of media, legislative and social pressure those unemployed, already isolated by government policy, suffer an acute loss of dignity. Because of this applications for benefits are often left until an applicant is in no shape to under-go the rigours of the registering process and survive. More often than not an applicant refuses to see his position as anything other than in between jobs until he is destitute.
The government in dealing with its economic crisis is showing very little regard for the people it represents. Unemployment means suffering bankruptcy, mortgage for closures, time purchase reposessions, divorce, child malnutrition and crime. Some of these consequences are not here yet. Probably they won't be seen to appear before the next election. This Christmas students were a privileged minority. Next Christmas it may be different.
Thanks
toGrant Allen Len Nightingale.
The Student Scheme
The Student Community Service Programme (SCSP) was a scheme introduced by the Government in last year's mini-budget. Under the scheme, community organisations and Local authorities could apply for students to carry out work for them, provided the work was such that it would not be done without financing under this programme. The types of schemes approved included holiday programmes, maintenance and upgrading of community facilities, creche services, employment programmes, social work, opening of school swimming pools over the holidays, research and surveys.
For nearly all involved the SCSP was a success. The students working on the various schemes enjoyed their jobs since the work was fairly interesting and the pay (according to the rates usually given to students) on average was fair. Community organisations and local authorities were able to extend their services where otherwise they would have been unable to. The community benefited from all the extra services available and the Government got lots of good publicity.
So why was there a programme set up especially for students when so many people are disadvantaged these days and why was it extended so far? (The initial finance given to the programme was $120,000. By the end of the programme this had risen to over $1,000,000)
The official reason was that by creating jobs which would not otherwise be available, it was hoped that students would not take jobs from school leavers as has happened in the past.
It is questionable whether this first aim was achieved and whether it was more important than creating jobs for all those who have lost their jobs over the past year and can't find employment. Unemployment figures were closely watched by the Department administering the programme and although in some small towns a saturation point was reached where jobs were available but not students, this was not true in the larger centres.
It could be speculated that one reason for the programme was that the Government hoped to distract student attention from the rapidly worsening employment situation. Students are traditionally amongst the first to protest when something is wrong with the country and this would be one way of buying them off.
The future of the SCSP is yet to be decided. If you worked on the scheme and have any ideas as to how it could be extended, improved or anything else, write in and tell us. If you had any hassles tell us about those too. Any decision made will directly affect you and you might as well have your say beforehand.
Lamorna Rogers