Gateway To Forced Labour

In Blogby Fedayn12 Comments

Paul Murphy MEP & protestors outside Dublin's City Hall

Paul Murphy MEP & protestors outside Dublin’s City Hall

 

Paul Murphy MEP spoke to reporters outside City Hall this evening at a protest against the new ‘Gateway’ programme.

 

Questioned about the new job scheme Murphy described it as the first step to forced labour:

 Those on the Gateway programme will get €20 per week  for 19.5 hours work on top of their dole, so it’s €1 per hour. If they refuse to go on the scheme they can have their dole reduced or cut entirely. It’s incredible.

 

Why were they protesting outside City Hall (where Dublin County Council convenes)?

 3,000 council workers have left over the past year, people who have reached retirement age. They haven’t been replaced and so these people [on Gateway] are going to be working for free, doing work that was previously done by paid employees so it’s undermining wages and conditions for everybody .

 

Dublin City Council are taking on 298 ‘Gateway’ workers, according to Murphy, in the next few months.

To see more on employment schemes see here.

*3,000 council workers have retired nationwide

 

Comments

  1. The fact the unemployed aren’t out on the streets protesting. Maybe its a case ok fuck you work for the Euro then

  2. As an aside here there was a photographer we don’t recognise standing across the road pointedly waiting until protestors faces were visible before snapping them with a long lens. Not sure if this was meant to be intimidatory but it certainly felt that way.

  3. Forced labour is a bit much… I think its a healthy initiative. There will be pro’s and con’s…. To just shit on it out right or to dress it as cheap villainy is a bit short sighted to be honest

  4. Cos I am married and my husband is earning a half decent wage and cannot even get any social welfare after 9 months despite the fact I have being paying tax for the last 20 years .

  5. I don’t get any free money, so if they are getting money from the state why shouldn’t they work for it.

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