Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

111. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she concerned is that a company (details supplied) has advertised for 28 positions through the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3589/14]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask whether the Minister is concerned that the Advance Pitstop tyre company has advertised for 28 interns through her JobBridge scheme, which is the second time around for the company. Obviously, this is a displacement of proper work at decent wages and a gross abuse of the young unemployed and taxpayers.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To date, more than 25,200 jobseekers have participated on JobBridge. I am happy to report that it currently has 6,400 participants.

The scheme has proved to be extremely popular with people who, unfortunately, are unemployed and who have been unable to get work experience. In the past, internships tended to be offered in professional or graduate-type roles and proved to be an effective entry route to employment for those with higher education who had the family supports or networks which enabled them to avail of this type of opportunity. Unfortunately, people without these supports could not avail of internships, as to do so would have caused them to lose entitlement to their jobseeker's payment. JobBridge addresses this issue and also opens up internships as a route to employment for people with lower levels of skills or little in the way of employment experience. This breaks the cycle whereby in order to get a job, one requires experience, but in order to get experience, one requires a job. That is the catch-22 which JobBridge seeks to break.

JobBridge is a voluntary scheme. Interns are free to choose whether to participate. Accordingly, if the scheme is to be of benefit to lower skilled or inexperienced jobseekers, it requires host organisations to offer a range of internships across the employment spectrum. Therefore, I am not disposed to selectively limiting the availability of internships.

The Department has a number of controls in place to prevent abuse of the scheme. These include requirements on host organisations to provide a mentor to the intern, to sign and operate a standard agreement, to submit regular monitoring reports to the Department and to co-operate with random monitoring visits. More than 4,400 monitoring visits have been conducted to date - a very high level of detailed monitoring given that there have been around 9,000 host organisations - 98% of which were found to be satisfactory. There are also limits placed on the number of internships that can be offered by any one organisation related to the number of staff employed by the company and there are restrictions on the repeat or sequential use of internships. I am satisfied, based on the Department’s monitoring visits and the report of the independent evaluation, that these controls are working effectively.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister did not address the issue of Advance Pitstop with good reason, because this blatant exploitation calls her bluff and bluster on the JobBridge scheme. Advance Pitstop is the Irish arm of a major multinational tyre company. Advertising for 28 interns on JobBridge provides for a displacement of proper, full-time jobs, and that is quite clear. The advertisement by Advance Pitstop offers €50 a week, specifying a 40 hour week. That is the equivalent of €1.25 an hour. That beats even the super-exploitation of Gama Construction, which we blew out of the water in 2005.

What does the Minister make of two science companies advertising for interns on €50 per week, and specifying that the interns must have a PhD in science? One company describes itself as using chemistry, physics and other sciences to manipulate atoms to make molecules for new products, better known as nanotechnology, the very cutting edge of industry and technology. It is offering €50 per week to PhD graduates. Is this the brave new world the Labour Party and the Government is sponsoring through JobBridge?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy, like some others in this House, has a very strange attitude to employment and to people getting employment. Sometimes when I listen to him, I think he would rather prefer if people stayed unemployed and perhaps they would listen to him more or something like that. I am not quite sure.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister should just deal with the issue.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We do not want to see them exploited.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

First, people are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. A married person with a spouse and three children would possibly get €400 or €500 per week in the total social welfare package.

The figure will be significantly higher if, for instance, he or she is also in receipt of rent supplement. Giving people an additional top-up of €50 is intended to assist with travel costs and other expenses associated with taking part in JobBridge.

Deputy Higgins referred to the motor industry. He may not be aware that large numbers of people, particularly young men, are extremely interested in working in all parts of the motor trade. Unfortunately, as a result of the collapse in construction and crash in the economy, full-time apprenticeships in this type of employment are only now being restored. While this type of work may be beneath Deputy Higgins, it is certainly of interest to some people who have taken it up.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Advance Pitstop had a cohort of interns who finished in the summer of last year. Having taken a cooling off period of six months, the company has now returned to the market seeking another 28 interns. If the Minister had not facilitated the exploitation of young workers through this cheap labour scheme, Advance Pitstop would have been obliged to hire workers at real rates of pay. The scheme is displacement and substitution of the worst kind and the Minister is facilitating this gross abuse of young workers.

The Minister did not comment on people with doctorates being enticed to work for €50 per week. She should get real and address this issue of gross exploitation. If, however, she chooses to continue with this scheme, she should remove the word "Labour" from her party's banner because exploitation of this nature is a disgrace and utter insult to the founders of the labour movement.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Labour Party is the party of work. The Deputy wants Ireland to be a country of welfare only, one in which no one works. He is wrong and his attitude is out of date.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I want real jobs at real wages.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

People who have found themselves out of work as a result of the economic crisis are extremely anxious to get back into employment.

The Deputy spoke of companies seeking people with PhD qualifications. One of the sad things I have encountered as Minister is people with extraordinary qualifications and a strong desire to work finding themselves locked out of employment. They do not want to stay on welfare, even though by European standards, specifically the standards of our nearest neighbour, the social welfare system is very strong and well financed. People want to become financially independent and enter employment.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We need policies that create jobs.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Some people who take up JobBridge have families and are receiving significant supports, including rent supplement. In the past, such persons were required to give up all supports to gain work experience. We are trying to get the country back to work and this is one of the ways we are doing so. As Indecon has shown, 61% of JobBridge participants subsequently secure further employment.

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Only 20% of them are hired by the companies they work with.