Counter Conference Announced

In November, Max Employment is ‘Gold Sponsoring’ a 2-day conference called Long Term Unemployment.

This conference costs $650 for a concession ticket.

How is the conference going to come to terms with the reality of long term unemployment when this high cost will exclude those who are actually unemployed from attending and sharing their experiences?

Instead of unemployed workers being given a chance to inform people of their experiences of long term unemployment, the organisers prefer to allow corporations like Max Employment the chance to influence policy in this area.

By continuing the long standing tradition of excluding the unemployed from having any input into policy regarding the treatment of unemployed workers, this conference will pave the way for more out of touch Government policies in this area.

To provide unemployed workers a much needed voice, the Australian Unemployed Workers Union is organising an all-day counter conference on the 9th of November entitled ‘Unemployed Workers’ Speak Out’. For the facebook event, click here.

This event will be held out the front of the Max Employment Sponsored conference (192 Wellington Parade) and will give unemployed workers the long overdue chance to share their experiences on the reality of unemployment in Australia.

If the policy makers do not want the unemployed at their conference, then we must come to them!


UPDATE 1

The Australian Unemployed Workers Union is glad to announce our first two unemployed workers who are speaking at our counter-conference outside the Max Employment-sponsored, $650 priced conference into ‘Long Term Unemployment’ being held in the Melbourne CBD.

Our first speaker will be Branka, who has for the last 6 weeks been involved in an ongoing dispute with Max Employment.
What was her crime? She got a letter in the mail saying she was cut off for not attending an appointment. But that catch is, not only was she not informed about the appointment, she was not even informed she had been transferred to Max Employment!
How is someone meant to go to an appointment they do not even know about?

Come on Monday to hear Branka tell us more about her case.
Our second speaker is Daryl, who recently was given a $54.88 penalty for ‘inappropriate behaviour’ from his job agency for listening to music on his computer during an activity.

According to Daryl, they did not even ask him to turn the music off – they just fined him without even telling him.
Daryl will be coming on Monday to tell us all about it.
More speakers to be announced.

Come along 9am, Monday the 9th of November and get informed about the reality of unemployment.

To RSVP sign up here: http://unemployedworkersunion.com/unemployed-workers-speak/

 

 

UPDATE 2

 

Our third speaker for the Counter-Conference has just been confirmed.
 
Her name is Rikianya and she is vision impaired and long term unemployed. She wanted to do a presentation at the Max Employment sponsored conference on her experiences of long term unemployment, but the organisers insisted she pay $650 to do so.
 
This is completely contradicts a letter the AUWU received yesterday from the ‘conference secretariat’ informing us they “always try and include suitable lived experience presenters; they are always offered free registration if selected.”
 
A quick look at the program and the absence of actual unemployed people becomes very clear. However, Max Solutions – the billion-dollar US owned parent company of Max Employment – has 3 separate presentations at the conference. ‘Gold sponsoring’ the event clearly pays off.
 
In fact, out of the total of at least 53 presentations happening at the Max Employment sponsored conference, 19 are Employment Service Providers and representatives, 2 are labour hire companies, 13 are charities, 9 are academics, 4 are government figures, 5 are companies, and only one is an advocate.
 
Not one of these people on the program presenting are actually unemployed. Exactly how is the conference meant to get a clear picture of the reality of unemployment?
 
Luckily for them, we will be there with at least three great speakers informing them of this reality.
 
Come down at 8am to help us flyer the speakers as they arrive!