atw: Re: Recruitment agent misbehaviour

Wow Warren, not having a good day eh?
 
With apologies to the good recruiters (they know who they are), I must say 
though, I get pretty much the same level of irits with them.  One thing that 
terrifies me about little Johnny's workplace relations manifesto, is that if WE 
do not have ANY human rights, and we are highly skilled and often in scarce 
supply, what hope have lesser skilled workers in the marketplace?
 
No attention has been paid in the 'debate' to the almost Nazi like powers that 
the recruiters have, to the point where we cannot negotiate even a modicum of 
rates, conditions etc.  I no longer read contracts because I have no intention 
of obeying their restrictive conditions anyway - so best that I don't get cross 
reading them.  (I also guess that they have become so restrictive that they 
would not stand up in a court of law - so why worry?)  But I would like to have 
some kind of say in the conditions and the % of fee taken off the top by the 
recruiter.  When you use a management company like Entity, you negotiate the 
percentage, so why not negotiate it with the recruiter?
 
The world always ebbs and flows, so I wonder what might get the recruiters back 
under control?  I suppose our best assault would be to source our own work, but 
that is harder than it looks.  If we all agreed as a group we could force them 
to negotiate a percentage, but then, when did we EVER operate as a group?
 
Perhaps the next conference could have workshops/sessions on how to source your 
own work?  Or perhaps, how to negotiate recruiters percentages?  Could be 
interesting to get to the job offer, then insist on knowing and negotiating the 
percentage.  This is the one place in the process when we have the power - as 
they won't want to lose the placement - has anyone tried to use it?
 
Christine
 

-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of 
warren.lewington@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, 22 December 2005 11:52
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Recruitment agent misbehaviour



I have just been hung up on. 
By a bl$$dy recruiter. Who remains anonymous because they didn't actually 
introduce themselves clearly. 

The usual thing, an enquiry (why are they always rude poms who sound as though 
they'd sell their grandmother's for warm beer?) from some mob I last had 
contact with in Sept 2003(!); asking would I be interested in a permanent role? 
I asked "Tell me about the role?" (Could people please let me know if this 
question was relevant and fair). 
He replied: " I don't have the details about the role with me; but..." 
I asked if he could send me the details before we continued. 
He hung up. 

Well what on earth is going the hell on. If recruitment agents want some 
respect why the hell don't they give it? Were they just going to use me as 
padding to get their little pet over the line? Where is the fairness here? 
Where is the ethical behaviour that is meant to provide everyone equal 
opportunity? Why should I say 'yes' to something I know nothing about? ANSWER 
ME THAT ONE. 

So my response to you recruitment agents lurking in the background on OUR 
tech-writing list with your little black books at the ready is this: 
Go stick your rudeness and nastiness in your ear. HOW DARE YOU treat people 
with SUCH CONTEMPT. Learn some manners, integrity, ethics and honesty, you 
parasites. And if you are a recruiter who possesses those qualities, don't get 
precious with me, go and raise your fraternities game. I don't want any 
apologies, if you really were sorry, you'd never let it happen in the first 
place! 

Finally let me assure you, if I get any funny treatment from recruiters with 
even a sniff of discrimination against me I'll land your festy butts into the 
anit-discrimination people quicker than you can scratch'em. I can afford to do 
it now... 

Merry Xmas everyone else. Maybe. 
The Grinch. 
Warren Lewington
Technical Writer
Metso Minerals
Arndell Park, Sydney.
NSW, Australia.



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