Job Plan Lacks Ambition & Scale

6 Aug 2009

Congress today gave a 'guarded welcome' to the new job protection measures unveiled today by the Government, saying the scheme "at least signalled a belated official engagement with the most serious issue facing the country - the jobs crisis."

Speaking in response to the Tanaiste Mary Coughlan's announcement, Congress Assistant General Secretary Sally Anne Kinahan said: "While we do welcome Government engagement with the jobs crisis as a step in the right direction, this new scheme falls far short of what is required.

"When we were first given details of these proposals during negotiations in June, Congress criticised them as lacking in scale, ambition and application. That criticism is even more valid today, with in excess of 418,000 people out of work.

"Taken with the dramatic fall in the tax take, it is also clear evidence that the Government's deflationary strategy is now destabilizing and undermining the entire economy."
"We need a response to the crisis that is commensurate with the scale of the crisis - the €1 Billion Job Creation & Protection Plan which Congress put on the table some months ago, would mark an appropriate response from Government (Congress Calls for €1 Billion Job Creation & Protection Plan, May 1, 2009. Visit: www.ictu.ie)
"Already the jobless numbers have met and most likely surpassed the Government's own worst case scenario, as will be confirmed by new figures to be released tomorrow (August 7)."

Ms Kinahan also said Congress had fears about the structure of the new scheme, particularly the fact that it laid no emphasis on training or upskilling those whose jobs were under threat.

"During negotiations, Congress sought to ensure that affected workers were given full and free access to training and upskilling opportunities, as the only sustainable way to assist threatened enterprises and workforces - but the new scheme does not do that.

"Equally we are concerned at the lack of penalties for employers who abuse the scheme and who fail to use it to protect the maximum number of jobs," she said.

Ms Kinahan pointed out that these issues could have been dealt with by way of an Oversight Group, as proposed by Congress, which would have given a voice to affected workers, employers and Government.

However, she said the new scheme had no such place for workers or their representatives - "further evidence that the social partnership talks with Government are well and truly over."