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PRESSURE FROM THE Troika resulted in the government setting up the much-criticised JobPath scheme, according to the Labour Party.
This week, opposition parties united to vote in favour of a motion calling for referrals to the scheme to end. The motion was passed by 81 votes to 42.
JobPath is an employment activation service provided to people who have been on the live register for more than 12 months and are trying to secure and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment.
The two private companies employed by the State to operate the scheme are Turas Nua and Seetec.
The two contractors are paid to work with both the jobseeker and employers to identify employment opportunities.
They receive payments when someone who has taken part in the scheme gains proven employment.
Sustainment payments are also to be made to the companies over the course of a year in respect of each person who secures employment having engaged in the JobPath process.
The scheme was introduced in 2015, under the Fine Gael-Labour government, in a bid to help alleviate the high-level of unemployment.
During a debate on the issue this week, Labour’s Brendan Ryan told the Dáil that “pressure from the Troika to set up Job Path came in the context of very high unemployment”.
He added:
Frankly, none of the experts in the Troika, the Department or elsewhere expected the jobs-rich recovery we have seen.
He said JobPath was a creation of the time when unemployment was significantly higher and expected to remain high for some time to come, adding that the “privatised approach is no longer needed”.
“It is our view that public and community services are much better placed now to deliver the tailored supports to workers, rather than for profit entities like Seetec and Turas Nua,” said Ryan, who said the department should go back to fully supporting the Local Employment Service and resourcing Community Employment schemes, along with education and training programmes to help those most distant from the workforce to reskill and equip themselves for work.
When the idea of JobPath was first floated, concerns were raised by Sinn Féin a private company ‘cherrypicking’ jobseekers to find work for.
In 2014, as the tender for the scheme was being issued, there were calls on the Minister for Social Protection at the time, Joan Burton, to halt the tendering process and turn back from the privatisation of schemes aimed at getting people back to work.
In response to a query from TheJournal.ie in 2014, the Department of Social Protection said it was not necessarily the case that contracts under JobPath would be with private companies.
Since this comment was issued, two private companies were awarded the contract.
A spokesperson for the department at the time said many of the larger companies involved in this activity in other countries are not-for-profit organisations like the Salvation Army and Working Links.
The JobPath model ensures that all programme participants must receive a defined level of service. Higher payments will be made in respect of those who are further from the labour market and lower payments to those who are closer to the labour market. Companies will not be able to recover their costs or make a profit without getting people into jobs.
“The JobPath model also provides that fees will be reduced if the number of people in work exceed certain predetermined levels thus restricting the amount of profit a company can earn,” they said.
The two private companies employed by the State, Turas Nua and Seetec, to operate the scheme have received €75.7 million and €73.3 million respectively to carry out its work.
Ryan said it was disappointing that since the contract for JobPath was awarded in 2015 there has been no comprehensive external evaluation of the service, stating that after three years it is bizarre that no independent data is available on the performance of the service.
Under the current Job Path contract, the last referrals will be at the end of 2019, with a two-year work out period up to 2021.
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Says Labour now ..happy to keep quiet when they were voting all these policies in . There was no moral compass then .
It was Frankfurt’s way.
@Paul Garvey: In government they become the Hulk, outside of it they are Dr. Jekyll…
@Paul Garvey: Have to have a bit of perspective, we were at serious risk of default and every single penny of peoples savings in every bank dissappearing. They didn’t do great but they tried.
Liebour hanging out all the dirty laundry from their betrayal of their core vote during their trough seeking time with the blueshirts…
Jobspath was nothing but a scourge on society.forcing people onto schemes that everybody knew was a dead end,all to massage the figures and make it look like austerity was working here
@dick dastardly: All austerity does is kills the foundation for jobs, what austerity does is destroys jobs, destroys manufacturing and destroys the movement of money… Those so called EXPERTS should have known that?
Labour? Do we have a labour party?
@Shelly Levine: not for the next 50 years we won’t.
@Shelly Levine: lol.
The labour party rammed it through and listened to no one,they treated people like animals and no try to blame someone else,never forgive them.
@@mdmak33: I would think that the IMF had a hand in this by selecting the companies for the Job Path scheme. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did?
Job path where they make you lie on yr cv. Very profitable for some private co.
@Dave Barrett: Seetec refer to it as “tailoring” your CV to suit the job that’s applied for.
@Michael Lynch: thats so that they get paid for every one that comes through their doors. Crooked feckers.
@Dave Barrett: If you couldn’t get a job they blamed you for that as it was never their fault. And they were never happy for people to job search at HOME, it drove them crazy…
A bit late to cry wolf – Labour screwed the workers when in power with FG and enriched their Union buddies with cushy earners on state boards
@Martin Brennan: Better to ask for forgiveness than for permission?
Everyone else’s fault
@Dan public: Fine Gael parody bot.
Labour made me buy an expensive phone
@Barry O Toole: ?? Explain.
@Patricia Mcnamara: iPhone joan…
@tommytukamomo: oh thanks
@Patricia Mcnamara: labour trying to blame everybody else for the decisions they made in govt patricia
@Barry O Toole: If you can buy one for over 600 euros each year then you can pay your water bill, remember that lol.
Labour party became right wing when they agreed to this. Joan backed it to the hilt as did Howlin. Time to take your punishment. Labour are a useless gang of mot and with that clown in Tipp thinking he should be the leader. Remember Irish water
Well, that changes everything….sigh
@Karl Curtin: I feel your pain. Hell what am I saying, Ireland feels your.pain
Labor has become a dirty word.
@Patricia Mcnamara: listening to Velvet Underground – Pale Blue Eyes
…feck them..life is alright…stay happy people!!
I remember being down in Kilarney in 2015 for a league match,And these buckos had their conference in the Glenn Eagles.
The amount of Gardai around the hotel not including all the fences around the hotel you swear it was a G8 summit.
They had a total disregard for the Irish people some of their party members looked on in disgust as we questioned them about the water charges.
Pass the buck. That is labor’s best move.
What a terrible scheme, inflicted by our government, making the long term unemployed who want to work and want to be retrained and educated.
If your life long occupation is construction and there are no relevant jobs available, they push you to apply for low paying, no contract dead end jobs. Retail, customer service, hospitality and cleaning. It is all in their brochure. There are no career development choices, no training, nothing. The tax payer pays for this inadequate service.
€149 million euro !! Honest to Jesus what a f king scam .
@GorillaGrower: with no external evaluation of the service since it started. Fking Blueshirts!
@GorillaGrower: Now €170 Million+ and still growing.
More spinning than a spinner. Labour should be made to hang their heads in shame at what they have been up to and how they can defend it. Then we find that Howling has been lobbying tobacco firms.
Ha. The gov lost the vote to end it. So they’ll partly end it in 12 months time and fully end it in 2021.
Traitors the lot of them,Larkin would be spinning in his grave by now.
Why not just cut the dole after 12 months – job done.
@thephantomshit: so someone say 62 who’s paid tax all their lives and probably is unlikely to get a job so close to retirement should have dole cut, cos thats the popular pile of brown stuff to say online……bravo on that useless and generalized idea
@thephantomshit: Why don’t we just shoot them and feed them to the hungry?
@thephantomshit: Yeah we should bring back the tenements
@thephantomshit: http://web.archive.org/web/20120711071849/http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/1/0607121657-croke-parkto-host-asia-pacific-ireland-business-forum/
“The forum has since paid special attention on informing Irish businesses about opportunities in Asia.” Buy buy Irish jobs…
https://web.archive.org/web/20170705024837/https://www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/speeches/speeches-archive/2015/july/min-urges-businesses-to-seek-asia-opportunities/
“At the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxemburg of the 22nd of June last, we discussed relations between the EU and Asia, considering issues such as how to enhance connectivity and trade. Connectivity is, I believe, key to the next stage of development in the Asian region.” Send Irish jobs to Asia.
Then wonder why there is unemployment here???
What a load of absolute and utter b***ox coming from that political reject.
He and his fellow swine were happy enough to join the snouts at trough.
The only way labour will ever have a scrap of credibility will be when political freeloaders like this clown are extinct.
The Trokia never dictated policy on any issue. Be it how austerity was to be achieved or this Jobpath. The Trokia told the government the bottom line that was to be achieved, nothing else. It was entirely up to the government how that bottom line was to be achieved. They choose where to apply the measures, made the policies, blaming the Trokia was lies. But that’s what FG, FF and Liebour do best.
@Dave Doyle:
For the record, the troika incorporated job activation measures in the “Memorandum of Understanding” that was agreed and signed by a previous Fianna Fail and Green party. It’s there in the text for all to see.
However, when FG and Labour got in (especially them), they took that ‘ball’ and run amock with it. They made it far worse, turned a blind eye to victims, aided breaking of national and international laws by action, inaction, convenient timely deafness or silence.
Labour and every party that each hand their hand in this whole abusive scandal, should be ashamed. The majority of the people of Ireland in fact, have not heard the full scale of the antics that has gone (and continues to as of date, it’s still in operation).
JobPath is a national inquiry in the making – right now.
The Troika told Labour to set up Jobpath! This narrative borders more and more on the fantastic. Reich IV would never micro manage a sovereign state. Would they?
Pressure from the Troika did not make them sort out the Legal profession
If forced to do it why with such gusto?
Work for welfare, welfare for work needs to be the policy & practice for long term unemployment for persons who cannot be recruited, or are not engaged, in the normal employment market, whether by lack of education, skills, or inclination.
There are plenty of public works needing improved attention, which would both improve the environment, & maintain a work ethic & discipline in those left outside the normal wage earning economy. Even 20 hours per week & e15 ph , plus dependants allowances, would also be better than basic dole, diminish the scourge of idleness, & build up self respect.
@William Kelly: They have that already, CE schemes. Nothing at all wrong with them, got me out of a rut before.
@William Kelly:
There is a Community Employment Scheme in every Parish in Ireland for the last 30 years. Voluntary Organizations sponsor these schemes and they provide work experience for people to give them a start and they also provide training. Sponsors included Tidy Towns , Gaa, and Soccer Clubs, Community Crèches and Day Care Centre’s for Elderly, County Councils, Residents Associations, Services for the Disabled, etc. In fact they are carrying out do much valuable that a lot of the jobs that people are doing on Schemes should be converted into permanent jobs.
@Aine O Connor:
So much valuable work.
Labour have a hard bloody neck.
They said nothing – they did nothing in opposition to the Troika.
Labour, lock, stock and sick barrel, went along with it all.
Hell, even worse – Joan Burton lead the ruddy charge and made it worse!
All in Labour – including useless Drogheda Ged Nash – went along with this too, saying and doing nothing in objection. They all just went along with it all and back their party in doing so, 100%.
They said nothing for 3+ years of attempted suicides, mass bullying, illegal stealing by the state (admitted in the Dublin highcourt), abuse of human rights (found guilty of in the Dublin Highcourts, turned their eye to private company exploiting people for mass €170+ Million gain and possible signature commercial fraud. Labour said NOTHING about all this and more.
Now they are trying to escape blame.
“I was only following orders” Huh?
Labour, go away and close down.
Your party betrayed a nation. History will record this.
Larkin and Connelly are rolling in their grave.
What a crock of complete sh!te.
@Michael Lynch: don’t talk about yourself like.that
170 million now. Still growing.
Lier sumbag party
Get rid of this and bring back Jobbridge
have your say