Staff at Jobs and Benefits office experience stress due to re-interviews for their jobs

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Monday, 26 June 2017 at 11:16

by Gráinne Connolly

It's been revealed that staff at the Enniskillen Jobs and Benefits office are being re-interviewed for their jobs.

This has brought a number of concerns to the attention of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC).

The office on the Queen Elizabeth Road site holds around 80 workers, with some of them being there for over 20 years.

Councillor Raymond Farrell said these staff members are experiencing significant stress, in the fear they may lose their job or be relocated.

He went on to say mention how concerning it is to re-interviewed for a job after working there for over 20 years:

The decision to re-interview comes after the introduction of Universal Credit.

It means that processing Jobseekers Allowance claims, which is usually the responsibility of around 80 staff members, would be wound up and the staff would no longer be needed.

As a result, Councillor Farrell suggested that a meeting would be needed with representatives from the Department of Communities, in order to move forward: