SOCIAL Protection Minister Joan Burton was met by protest outside the Social Welfare office on Dominic Street last week from young Limerick people calling for real jobs and an end to the JobBridge initiative.
Visiting the city to open the new Intreo Centre, the Minister was met by dozens of outraged Scambridge.ie campaigners brandished signs calling for ‘jobs not dole’, and a ‘real jobs programme, not slave labour scams’.
The Department of Social Protection has been rebranded as a “one-stop shop for jobseekers” where they can now, for the first time, get their income and employment supports in the one place.
Minister Burton described Intreo as a key element of the Government’s Pathways to Work strategy to tackle unemployment.
“The Government strategy is paying off – the Live Register has fallen below 400,000 and will reduce further next year. But there remains a long way to go and that is why it is crucial we offer every practical support to jobseekers. That is why Intreo Centres such as Limerick are so important.”
However, Scambridge.ie activist and anti-austerity local election candidate Cian Prendiville had a very different take.
“That the government is treating the opening of a dole office with fanfare and jubilation is a sign of what they have to offer for unemployed people. Their message to young people in particular is clear: work for free, or emigrate.
“Well, we are here to say: We’re not slaves, and we won’t leave. We are going to stay and fight for jobs and a future,” said Mr Prendiville.
As the Minister spoke of the importance of local employer support and engagement to the success of Limerick Intreo, protesters outside heckled with chants of “Labour, Labour hear our voice; Unemployment is not a lifestyle choice”.
The ScamBridge.ie campaign also held another protest in the city centre unveiling a ‘Wall of Shame’ naming what they call ‘Scrooge bosses’ who they claim are “exploiting JobBridge”.
“Hundreds of companies across Limerick have or are looking for workers who would get only €1.25 an hour, doing jobs from Mechanical Engineer at the University of Limerick to administrative staff at Dell.
“Minister Burton and her government are not just turning a blind eye to this exploitation, they are actively encouraging it, and pushing unemployed people onto these slave labour schemes.
“We’ll be out on the streets of Limerick to expose this scam, and the Scrooge bosses abusing it,” Mr Prendiville warned.
