SIPTU representatives have welcomed the passing by Dáil Eireann of a motion, sponsored by Sinn Féin, calling on the Government and Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to immediately cease all referrals to the JobPath service and end the mandatory nature of the scheme. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Eddie Mullins, said: “Since its introduction in 2014, SIPTU representatives have consistently expressed great concern at the preference shown by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for JobPath and other schemes which amount to the privatisation of employment services. “It is clear that the cost of the JobPath scheme, when compared to existing community based programmes which deliver similar services such as Job Clubs, Local Employment Schemes, Community Employment Schemes (LES) or TÚS, reveals that it does not in any way represent value for money for the taxpayer. “When SIPTU members questioned the cost of JobPath, they were told it was sensitive information and could not be divulged. This is despite our members suffering due to the implementation of the scheme, with redundancies in TÚS, threats to the contracts of Job Clubs and LES and Community Employment Schemes being unable to secure participants because they are sent to JobPath first.” He added: “The motion which was passed by the Dáil on Thursday, 7th February, is extremely important. If the Government is serious about saving money for the taxpayer, it must end its contract with the JobPath providers and use the more cost-effective community-based employment schemes. “In that context, we fully agreed with the motion which also calls on the Government to ‘properly resource and expand existing job activation schemes which are community-based, including; the Local Employment Service, Adult Guidance Service, Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme, TÚS and Job Clubs.”
SIPTU welcomes Dáil support for Sinn Féin motion to end JobPath
