EU criticises Ireland for lack of action on Active Labour Market Programmes, Childcare, Gender Pay Gap and Lifelong Learning

12 Apr 2005

The Joint Employment Report for 2004/2005, drafted by the European Commission and agreed by the 25 EU Prime Ministers at the ‘Spring Summit’, assessed Ireland’s performance and progress in relation to specific areas that were identified by the Commission in 2003 as priority areas. These areas were Active Labour Market Programmes, Childcare, Gender Pay Gap and Lifelong Learning.

In Active Labour Market Programmes, the EU Commission is critical that these measures are still not fully accessible to unemployed people and those otherwise outside or distant from the labour market.

Under Childcare and Gender Pay Gap, in the Commission’s view, progress towards increasing the supply of childcare facilities is occurring slowly, however the issue of affordability remains a key concern. Similarly, progress in rectifying the gender pay gap has been slow.

In the area of Lifelong Learning, the EU Commission criticises the failure to implement a coherent strategy in this area. Also, although policies to increase participation in training are being put in place, their focus on low skilled and older workers are insufficient.

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed along with other labour market organisations strongly agree with the EU Commissions assessment and calls for greater political scrutiny and accountability of Ireland’s performance as assessed by the Joint Employment Report.

‘It is a serious matter of concern that the Government is continually failing to – at a minimum – to fully act on the EU Commission’s recommendations’, said June Tinsley, Policy Officer INOU. ‘Ireland’s poor performance in the priority areas identified needs to be highlighted in order to refute the ongoing commentary that Ireland has attained ‘full employment’. Despite a low official national unemployment rate, many groups remain excluded or distant from the labour market, often for obvious reasons such as lack of childcare, poor access to lifelong learning opportunities, poor transport infrastructure etc.