I am seeking advice with regard to my doubts overthe DWP flagship system Universal Jobmatch.
A brief history:
Im in my mid 50s and until 3 years ago had maintained full employment. There then followed two health issues and claiming (a)ESA, (b) contribution based JSA ,(c) then ESA again.
Once fit, I started to sign on again (late last summer) for contribution based JSA in the full knowledge (and acceptance) that I would not receive any monetary JSA benefit because of my level of savings. I am actively seeking work and have applied for numerous jobs. However, throughout my dealings with JobcentrePlus attempts have been made to persuade me to stop signing on on the grounds that my NI contributions record will, at this stage, qualify me for a full pension.
I am reluctant to stop signing on because if my NI credits stop and I suffer a major health issue I will have a broken period of contributions which may result in me losing out on health related benefits. Furthermore, the government is proposing pension legislation to change the contribution period for a full pension from 30 to 35 years. It may well happen that there will be future increases in the number of years required and I may fall short of the number of years needed for a full pension.
Jobcentre Plus persuasion to stop signing on has recently become more intimidating. I have been threatened with sanctions if I do not post my CV onto the Universal Jobmatch database. There are well documented worries about the posting of private data on public sites. As an IT professional with a knowledge of relational databases I have a significant knowledge of how data is held on such systems.
Indeed , until March this year the Universal Jobmatch Privacy Policy on the gov.uk website stated:
I am aware that the DWP public service unions have severe concerns over the Universal Jobmatch system. I am certain that the staff threatening me with sanctions are themselves being threatened if targets are not met.
Hopefully there will be readers of this post that will be able to advise me as to my rights in this matter.
Many thanks for reading this post, and thank you in anticipation.
A brief history:
Im in my mid 50s and until 3 years ago had maintained full employment. There then followed two health issues and claiming (a)ESA, (b) contribution based JSA ,(c) then ESA again.
Once fit, I started to sign on again (late last summer) for contribution based JSA in the full knowledge (and acceptance) that I would not receive any monetary JSA benefit because of my level of savings. I am actively seeking work and have applied for numerous jobs. However, throughout my dealings with JobcentrePlus attempts have been made to persuade me to stop signing on on the grounds that my NI contributions record will, at this stage, qualify me for a full pension.
I am reluctant to stop signing on because if my NI credits stop and I suffer a major health issue I will have a broken period of contributions which may result in me losing out on health related benefits. Furthermore, the government is proposing pension legislation to change the contribution period for a full pension from 30 to 35 years. It may well happen that there will be future increases in the number of years required and I may fall short of the number of years needed for a full pension.
Jobcentre Plus persuasion to stop signing on has recently become more intimidating. I have been threatened with sanctions if I do not post my CV onto the Universal Jobmatch database. There are well documented worries about the posting of private data on public sites. As an IT professional with a knowledge of relational databases I have a significant knowledge of how data is held on such systems.
Indeed , until March this year the Universal Jobmatch Privacy Policy on the gov.uk website stated:
...We have put in place technical and organisational systems designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from people or organisations that do not have permission to access, use, alteration or disclosure. However, the Internet is an open system and We cannot guarantee that people or organisations that do not have permission will not be able to defeat those systems or use your personal information for improper purposes. ...Although this wording has been removed the concerns over security of data must still exist.
I am aware that the DWP public service unions have severe concerns over the Universal Jobmatch system. I am certain that the staff threatening me with sanctions are themselves being threatened if targets are not met.
Hopefully there will be readers of this post that will be able to advise me as to my rights in this matter.
Many thanks for reading this post, and thank you in anticipation.