A West Belfast jobseeker was left dumbstruck when he was invited to apply for a job in
British Military Intelligence – on the Falls Road!
The local man, who was looking for a job on a visit to the
Falls Road Jobs and Benefits Office, nearly fell off his chair when he
accidentally typed the wrong reference number into the computer
database of jobs and was invited to consider a career monitoring "the
activities of the nation's enemies".
Disturbingly, a job heading, 'Operator Military Intelligence, Intelligence Corps' popped up on screen before him.
The job advert outlines the duties of the post as: "The
linguist (Operator Military Intelligence) is employed in a real-time
operation to monitor the activities of the nation's enemies. This
requires the ability to intercept enemy radio messages, unravel their
meaning and submit reports to the appropriate headquarters."
The advert goes on to say that the suitable candidate will
have: "A high degree of aptitude in a foreign language and the ability
to operate in the IT field.
"The task is a complex and demanding one but the product
delivered from the application of the linguist's skill and experience
is vital to an operational commander."
Qualification requirements for the post are GCSE grade C in
English, a foreign language, two other academic subjects and to be
eligible for a British passport.
Disgusted Sinn Féin Councillor Fra McCann says he can't believe that the job would be advertised in West Belfast.
"I was shocked when I saw the ad that he retrieved from the computer in the jobs centre on the Falls Road.
"It is strange that this is advertised in a place where the
only experience of British intelligence in the past has been their
involvement in the murder of republicans and nationalists.
"They are still heavily involved in undercover operations and
gathering intelligence on local people. The British government can't
give people here real jobs and a living wage, but they can offer
careers in spying and skullduggery."
Andree Murphy, a spokesperson for Relatives for Justice, said
that the tone of the advert reflected badly on the security forces.
"This job is advertised with the old militaristic, cold war mindset.
They clearly have not taken on any human rights training that they have
informed us that they had committed to."
A spokesperson for the Department for Employment and Learning
told the Andersonstown News: "The vacancy concerned has been widely
advertised in the press and is a bona fide one posted by a Government
agency. Job Centre online carries a significant number of government
vacancies at any given time."
If the local man had been inclined to apply for the spook
position, it is likely that he would have been deterred by the wage.
After completion of training, the pay offered is £219 per week for a
48-hour week, which works out at approximately £4.56 per hour. This is
29p below the minimum wage, which stands at £4.85 per hour for people
aged 22 and over. However, the MoD is able to offer their £4.56 per
hour wage because the British armed forces are exempt from minimum wage
legislation.
