Sweden's Phase Three Job Program Is Modern Day Slave Trading
My words actually and something I have been saying for some time. I talk from experience being involved in this program. Just another one of Swedens work programs that benefit the families and friends of politicians and channel the Swedish taxpayers money away from health and welfare into the hands of a few wealthy connected people. A pure scam in my eyes and it turns out that Mr. Michael MacLaine has said pretty much the same in a TV 4 news story.
Now, for a little background information for both Swedes and those from other Lands. Phase Three is a program for long time unemployed in Sweden. After one's normal unemployment insurance runs out after about 2 years or 300 days, then one goes into a Phase One, Two, and Three in which one is given extra help in the form of a Job Coach, who is basicly an unemployed person who can't get a job and who is given this job to help people develop a CV, Interview Training, make contacts, give pep talks, and make one feel better. The majority of the coaches are uneducated and wouldn't be able to get a job if their lives depended on it. The government just came up with this idea to give the unemployed extra help to get back into the job market without any Formal Coach Education or system in place. The private Education Companies and Job Coach Firms grew like a cancer with Billions of Swedish Crowns being pumped into these flim flam programs and firms. The Coaching Companies made 9,000 Swedish Crowns per month for every unemployed person enrolled. If you take the time to read their Home Pages it's as if one created a Power Point Presentation and the rest just copied their work. Many of the Education and Job Coach Companies are politically connected with EU clout. The owner of the Coaching company I went to said out loud that I was a parasite of the State and only living off of tax money. I didn't agrue with him, but called him a little man not worth my attention and walked away. He was only mad because he was sending many unemployed to work in practicums at a friend's company. Another one into State and EU funds playing the system. I was told I was to work there for free for one month and if I wasn't offered a job, I was to leave. Well, they tried their best to con me into staying up to 3 months and I said, no. This wasn't our agreement. This private business owner was famous in town to using free help paid for by the Swedish Taxpayers. He has been running a company with free lavbor for over 10 years. He even lied to the State Employment Agency and said he had a collective agreement with the Union when in fact he did for his white collar help of one , but not for the blue collar workers, which were the ones being sent their as slave labor. Perhaps a bit of a stretch, but the Government Agencies were easily conned by him and the Job Coach Company Owner.
Now, to Phase Three. In Phase Three, formally called, Job Development and Education Guarantee, the unemployed are send to Townships, Non-Profits, Associations, Clubs, and Private Companies to work full time for the same amount of unemployment insurance. The businesses get free labor, all employment fees and work insurances paid, plus 5,000 swedish crowns per month per worker. The unemployed gets nothing extra except for perhaps special equipment or work clothes which is in the agreement and that few are getting. I got mine, but I didn't ask for any, but just say,"when can I pick up my work clothes."
Now, for a rough translation of the Nyhetskanelen.se story in English.
Carrier Coach Michael MacLaine is very critical of the government's reform when it comes to long term unemployed and the so called Phase Three Job Program. "This reform was to help the unemployed into the work market and to give them more self-esteem and confidence, but instead many feel worst from this program", claims MacLaine.
There was another story on the same subject entitled:
They Make Millions On The Unemployed.
Here is a rough translation:
The governments reform to get long term unemployed has become a successful business for companies. Companies don't pay any salary, employment taxes or insurances for workers and at the same time are making 5,000 swedish crowns a month per person.
One whistle blower named Lars-Gören in Phase Three said that at the private company where he was placed, there were 30 to 35 unemployed from the Phase Three Program and many had no work assignments. He was basicly sitting at the work place for 40 hours per week doing nothing. He said that once in a while he was given a paper to photocopy.
The company where he was placed got 150,000 swedish crowns of tax payers money per month on top of free labor. Not a bad deal for a business owner, but not such a good deal for the unemployed. Not actually the image of the Scandinavian Model that the Swedes have spent so much time and money to project outside their borders. The total bill for the Swedish taxpayers, not the Swedish Politicians was only 800 Million Swedish Crowns last year. It looks to me like the Swedish Townships, Non-Profits, and Private Companies got the gold mine and the unemployed got the shaft. I believe the township I live in made a 5 Million Crown profit last year on the unemployed in Phase Three.
My view of the Phase Three Reform is that it is just another dishonest and deceptive scam to steal tax money money from Healthcare, Insurance and other social programs into the hands of a few of wealth with political connections. Both the Swedish Government and Companies have lured the unemployed into believing that there is a possibility of working themselves into a real job when in fact the companies have no intention of hiring anybody. It is also partly a way to lower wages and break the unions with I believe is the unspoken goal of programs like this.
Will the Unemployed in Sweden ever find proper work when the government is supplying both Public and Private firms with free labor or one might say, slave labor, plus rewarding them with 5,000 swedish crowns per month per worker as a bonus? I remember a man telling me that he went to an Ica Maxi Supermarket in town seeking work and the Store Manager said to him, "why should I hire you when I can get all the free help I want."
Wouldn't the Unemployed feel better while improving their self-esteem along with their living standard if the Government gave them the 5,000 crowns instead? It's a nice thought, but not so likely in the modern day Swedish Plutocracy.
Update:
I found some information on job coaching that I had written down from an article in Dagens Industri which is a Swedish Business Journal. Here is a rough translation:
The venture of job coaches has cost 2 billion swedish crowns and is expected to cost an additional 1 billion next year. There is a total of 800 companies engaged in advise giving to the unemployed in Sweden. If it is really of any help, nobody knows.
"We don't operate any reviews", said Pär Wiker, quality chef for Arbetsdförmedlingen (Swedish Employment Office).
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