The Government has been slammed for making money from unemployed people who have to pay as much as 40p a minute to call its official jobs helpline to ask about vacancies.
The money raised is used by the department to offset the £870million it has to pay to BT to operate its call centres. The disclosure, which came as employment figures soared to a 14-year high, triggered fierce criticism from union bosses as well as political opponents and will dent Gordon Brown’s claim to be the champion of the jobless.
People who call Jobseekers Direct from a mobile are charged up to 40p a minute. Calls from a BT landline are charged at almost 4p a minute, with a 7p ‘call set-up’ charge. Other providers may charge more.
If the service could be contacted on a normal landline number, calls from a mobile would cost no more than 20p a minute and calls from a BT landline no more than 2.55p.
Even the Government’s Central Office of Information said it accepted that the costs of the high-rate lines may deter some people from calling the job advice lines.
Even the Government’s Central Office of Information said it accepted that the costs of the high-rate lines may deter some people from calling the job advice lines.
In a completely unrelated bit of news, Patricia Hewitt, who is quitting as an MP at the next election, said she wanted to stand down to spend more time with her family. I guess when she said “family” she meant it in a very broad sense, because she was appointed the new senior independent director at BT.
It would appear she confused the words family and directorship, an easy mistake much like the expenses claims that she put in.
Ms Hewitt, Leicester West, has been on the board at BT since last March. No doubt what with the large amounts BT are making off of the unemployed, she will have her fingers crossed that the Gordon Brown created collapse of the economy lasts a very long time.
After all Patsie, BT & New Labour happy to fleece the last pennies out of the unemployed.
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