INOU outrage at proposed cuts to 5000 jobs

10 Sep 2003

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed strongly criticises the proposals under review by the Committee on Social Inclusion that could see up to 5000 FÁS supported jobs being axed. According to the report compiled by senior civil servants (as stated in the Irish Times (6/9/03)) the proposals suggest the abolition of the Jobs Initiative scheme and the axing of the Social Economy programme in favour of an enhanced Community Employment programme.

‘These proposed policy developments are totally unacceptable, as they are in addition to the harsh cutbacks that individuals and sponsors have already had to face,’ said Mr Eric Conroy, General Secretary INOU. ‘These suggestions have no regard to the ongoing work of the social partners in this area and show little consideration for either the participants themselves or the valuable work that they do in their communities’.

‘With redundancies being announced with alarming frequency, most recently 640 jobs lost in 3Com, we would question the rationale for such drastic cuts in the supports to unemployed people,’ he added.

The INOU urges the Committee on Social Inclusion to resist such drastic proposals as to do otherwise would guarantee further poverty and social exclusion for people seeking to (re)enter the labour market and in turn would increase their dependency on State welfare. In addition, communities would be starved of essential social services which in turn would lead to the beneficiaries of the current services being further isolated.