Is this for real?

What exactly is Minister Éamon Ó Cuív proposing? To-date nothing has appeared in writing as to where these new 10,000 places will be found, how they will be funded, and more importantly for an unemployed person's perspective, how the participants will be picked. There is talk of 'working for your dole' and of 'workfare'. With over 455,000 people on the Live Register it is absolutely ridiculous to be talking about mandatory involvement. It appears the Minister and the media are playing to the public gallery.

At present there are approximately 30,000 people on Community Employment, Jobs Initiative, Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and the Community Services Programme (CSP). Over the coming months all of these schemes will come under the Minister's department, now called the Department for Social Protection. In discussions with the Minister it appears that he intends to expand the RSS and the CSP to create these additional places. This would amount to a threefold increase in these schemes as there are currently a little over 5,000 people participating. Such an expansion is not feasible without significant additional resources. It appears that the Minister is planning on funding this expansion through savings in his Departmental budget. In particular in removing people from the Live Register that he believes should not be there: this appears to be his rationael for mandatory participation!

The example of childcare illustrates how deeply flawed the Minister's current proposal is. This is an area where potential employees must be interested in and have an aptitude for their work. Employers, in the case of a scheme often known as the sponsoring body, have an obligation to ensure that those they are hiring for this work are suitable. So it is crucial that the person goes through an application process undertaken by the employer. Where does mandatory participation fit into this? It doesn't. Participation must be chosen, not coerced! Community organisations must be properly funded to develop their work and respond appropriately to local needs including employment.

The scale of the unemployment problem facing the country cannot be addressed on a cost neutral basis. The Government has not tried to address the banking crisis in this manner instead billions have been spent in trying to rescue a banking system that has demonstrated little capacity to properly support economic development.

What unemployed people want is a job, however for the foreseeable future there will be too few jobs for the numbers of jobseekers. In the meantime a suite of education, training and employment options must be developed that would give unemployed people the opportunity to maintain and improve their skills. Employment schemes have their role to play however they are only part of the answer. What would be far more effective would be the development of an efficient social welfare system that facilitates people to take up short term, part-time, casual employment rather than penalising them and threatening them with destitution.

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We must invest in Ireland's future now!

There are over 455,000 people on the seasonally adjusted Live Register. This is an extraordinary figure and one Ireland has never had to address before now though we have seen higher unemployment rates. "69% of the Live Register are in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance (JA), the means tested unemployment payment, which reflects the extent of the unemployment problem now facing this country," noted Bríd O'Brien, Head of Policy and Media with the INOU.

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Working for Work (17th Edition) published - Order Copies.

(Click here to order your FREE copy - online form)

Working for Work is the only comprehensive publication available bringing together a wide range of information for individual unemployed people, people who have lost their jobs, or are about to lose their jobs, and those in receipt of welfare payments. (Click here to download a pdf copy)

It outlines an individual's entitlements to social welfare payments, secondary benefits - including Rent/Mortgage Interest Supplements, Redundancy, Rights at Work and Social Welfare Appeals.

In addition it provides valuable information on the options and opportunities available to those seeking to pursue education and training as part of their efforts to return to employment - including FAS Training Courses, Back to Education Allowance, VTOS and part-time education options.

Copies of Working for Work are FREE of charge to individuals and can be ordered directly from the INOU. Copies are available through local Citizens Information Centres, Social Welfare offices, MABS and a wide range of other groups and agencies.

For more information contact the INOU using our online order form, by e-mail at welfareinfo@inou.ie or by telephone on (01) 856 0088.

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