Paul Murphy decries closures in Tala and Clendawkin, 39 redundancies
Paul Murphy addressed the closure of local employment services in Tala and Clendawkin, where 39 workers were made redundant and services ceased from 31 August. He blamed the government-led tendering process for encouraging a reduction in services and demanded action to restore jobs and funding.
Immediate closures and redundancies
On 31 August the local employment services in Tala and in Clendawkin were shut down and 39 workers were made redundant. The areas were left without a service for at least two, possibly three months, and the local partnership is now attempting to re-employ a reduced number of workers on lower wages and with increased responsibilities - a change that will significantly reduce available services.
Alleged cause - tendering process
Paul Murphy identified the root cause as the tendering process that the government insisted all these services go through, arguing it effectively encouraged a "race to the bottom". He said competition with for-profit providers has undermined service levels and terms and conditions for staff.
Demand for government action
Murphy asked whether the government will instruct the local partnership to re-employ all of the workers on existing terms and conditions and whether it will provide the funding necessary to enable that re-employment. He framed the request as necessary to prevent further service losses and protect workers' wages and roles.
Government response and oversight debate
A reply in the debate said it was not the minister's intention that those who won contracts would lay people off. The speaker who responded argued government must balance delegation of authority to local partnerships with macro-level oversight, and questioned whether constant micromanagement by the Government or repeated instructions to the Taoiseach is the correct approach.
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On 31 August, the local employment services in Tala and in Clendawkin were shut down. 39 workers were made redundant and the areas are going to be left with no service for at least two, possibly three months. At the end of that time, the local partnership is attempting to re-employ a reduced number of workers on lower wages and with increased responsibilities. The consequence will be a significant reduction in services. When we've attempted to raise this before, the government has said nothing to do with us, it's the responsibility of the local partnership. But the root of it is the tendering process that the government insisted that all these processes went through. It effectively encouraged a race to the bottom in terms of services with competition with for-profit providers. Will you instruct the partnership to re-employ all of the workers on existing terms and conditions and will you provide the funding to enable them to do so? Deputy Mayor the contract from what you were saying. It was not the Minister's intention that those who won contracts would lay people off, but is it on that Government would micromanage every partnership, micromanage every agency across the country? Government is a balance between delegation of its authority, as agreed by this Erectus, and at a macro level then dealing with issues that are more appropriate to the Executive. I note a lot from your side of the House, through the Chair, calls on the Taoiseach of the day, the Government of the day, to keep directing, keep directing, keep instructing, keep dictating basically to people, do it our way or no other way. I'm not sure that that's correct or the right balanced approach to take. I do think that would be just a view I'd have in relation to that.
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