Council Should Be Leaders In Job Creation Not Exploitation – Cllr McCarthy

Cork County Council is in a unique position to help create meaningful full paying jobs, but only if it’s first prepared to turn away from employing people under cheap Government sponsored exploitative schemes like Gateway as currently being promoted under the Department of Social Protection and Family Affairs.

Cllr Kieran McCarthy who is bringing a motion before Cork County Council is calling on the body to renounce the practice of cheap labour schemes, and instead issue a call on the Minister to suspend the embargo against public sector recruitment.

Kieran McCarthy’s motion is also calling on the council to issues the members with written reports into any instances where council staff has been hired through a relaxation of the embargo on public sector recruitment, and into how many people have been hired by Cork Co Council under Gateway, Job-Bridge and other cheap exploitative schemes.

Cllr McCarthy is calling on Cork County Council to be leaders and real job creators by encouraging other local authorities around the state to follow its lead and call on the Minister to lift the embargo, employ people in full paying positions through the local authorities, which in turn will create much more spending power in local economies.

Above all, the practice of turning away from a policy of exploitation and towards one of giving people back their dignity through real jobs will show the public that we as public representatives are serious about valuing people as much as bank debt, and that real full paying jobs will create a win-win situation for everyone.

Notice of Motion: A) “That this council disagrees with the use of Government sponsored cheap labour schemes such as the Gateway scheme, and calls on this authority to not engage in the hiring of people under such exploitative schemes”.

B) “And that this council instead calls on the Minister to immediately suspend the embargo on Public Sector Recruitment, thus allowing the hard pressed people of Cork some dignified full paying employment”.

C) “That this council issues a full written report to members on how many times the embargo against public sector recruitment has been relaxed to accommodate the hiring of staff by Cork County Council containing a list of all positions filled since the embargo was introduced in March 2009, and that a similar full written report into the hiring of people under cheap exploitative schemes such as Gateway, Job-bridge by this Council is also issued to the members”.

For further comment, please contact Cllr Kieran McCarthy@ 087-6845249