Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I had not intended naming the person in question but the Minister has already done so.

Six weeks ago I debated the JobBridge issue with the Minister and at the time I provided many examples of blatant exploitation and job displacement under the scheme at that time. I urged her to acknowledge that the scheme disincentivises job creation and facilitates the equivalent of slave labour. She dismissed it at the time but I am again asking questions about the scheme. Is the Minister satisfied that the steering committee is chaired by the managing director of Hewlett Packard, whom she mentioned earlier? She mentioned that Hewlett Packard is participating in the scheme and has at least eight free workers courtesy of the scheme. Does the Minister not accept this represents a clear conflict of interest between the person chairing the steering committee and the objective of the scheme? Does she not accept that the company of the man charged by her with impartially monitoring JobBridge is actively benefiting from such a scheme?

The Minister's party is often regarded as the political sister of the trade union movement. The law in this State specifically obliges trade union recognition. Is she aware that Hewlett Packard is one of the most anti-union companies operating in the country? Is she aware that Hewlett Packard routinely refuses to recognise trade unions to the extent that in an outsource and transfer situation members of the Irish Bank Officials Association, IBOA, were forced to take industrial action to get recognition from Hewlett Packard. Does she still stand over that appointment?

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