Paul Murphy Warns Against 'JobBridge 2.0' Pathways to Work
Paul Murphy criticised proposals he said echoed JobBridge, calling the earlier scheme 'ScamBridge' and warning Pathways to Work risks repeating exploitative practices. He demanded clarity on pay and whether participation would be compulsory, and urged investment in education, apprenticeships and green jobs.
Main allegations
Murphy said JobBridge involved tens of thousands of workers being grossly exploited, forced to work for free for nine months under threat of losing social welfare benefits. He cited specific abuses - participants paid £1.25 an hour, doing roles such as sandwich artists or work at a national chain of garages - and said the scheme saved employers almost €400,000 in wages. He also said the scheme was widely abused in the public sector to circumvent an employment moratorium.
Questions demanded
He asked what rate of pay is planned for the new Pathways to Work scheme and whether it would be made compulsory. Murphy challenged policymakers to be explicit about the scheme's terms rather than using 'activation' language reminiscent of JobBridge.
Alternative proposals urged
Murphy argued it would be far better to invest in real education, including apprenticeship schemes, on-the-job training and a green jobs programme - to create actual jobs and support a rapid and just transition, rather than reintroducing exploitative placements.
Response from the minister
A minister replied that Pathways to Work is intended as an investment in young people, to help them get work, gain skills and re-skill. The minister also said they would check the situation in respect of nurses and disability in the mental health area.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
So Teachta, in response to Deputy Barry about JobBridge 2.0, you were quite coy about what you described as the Pathways to Work scheme, but the language that you used in terms of activating people, the unemployed, young people in particular, was strikingly reminiscent of the language used around JobBridge. And let's remind ourselves what ScamBridge was about. It involved tens of thousands of workers being grossly exploited. They were compelled to go and do work for free for nine months at fear of losing their social welfare benefits. They were paid £1.25 an hour. They did jobs for nine months, like being a sandwich artist, like working for a chain, a national chain of garages, which employed almost 30, saving themselves almost €400,000 in wages. It was widespread abused in the public sector to get around the employment moratorium that existed at the time. So you should come out and say, what are you proposing? What rate of pay are you planning for this new Pathways to Work scheme? Are you planning to make it compulsory? And would it not be far better to actually invest in real education, including apprenticeship schemes, so on-the-job training, and a green jobs programme, to actually create the work, to create the jobs that need to do the work for a rapid and just transition? Thank you. Deputy Murphy, the Pathways to Work scheme is about really investing in young people, investment in young people across the board, and helping people to get work, to get skilled for work, and to re-skill people. And I'll investigate, or check out, sorry, the situation in respect of nurses and disability in the mental health area. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Best standpoint. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Stay right? Go on. Good morning. Both節目
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
