TD’s want slaves is what the headline should read.

The entire jobbridge scheme is just one gigantic scam.

Once again, those attempting to benefit from the JobBridge scheme are missing the whole point of the initiative – while this call by TDs would mean cheap labour for themselves, it fails to deal with what the intern would actually gain from being a skivvy to a highly paid public representative.
There is much to be gained from a monitored, structured internship in the proper working environment, but without *any* supervision of the JobBridge internships, there is simply too much room for exploitation. However depressing jobsearching can be, being stuck in a 9 month, unstimulating, poor quality internship being overworked and underappreciated for 50 quid along with your dole, is extremely disheartening.
This call by TDs once again highlights how out of touch our so-called public representatives are with the situation on the ground and fails to appreciate the finer points of initiatives such as the JobBridge scheme and the way it is impacting on the labour market.

TD s get enough money so why dont they hire their own staff at their own expense

“issues regarding the volume of “human traffic” in some parts of the building”

You’ll probably never see a more succinct description of our political system.

That headline should read “WE NEED JOBS” full stop. Their time would be best served if they looked for ways to create proper jobs and scapegoats for their own failures.

These misers get enough in expenses alone to pay even a minimum wage member of staff, then there is also the exclusion of disabled that the JobBridge internship brings.

Why not get the whole country to do that your dole plus 50 euros the cheapest labour force in Europe. This is just crazy they get great holidays, cars, expenses and God knows what other perks and now want cheap labour is there no low to which this country will go in the explotation of its people.

They raided our private pensions to finance this scam,and now want us to work for them for what was essentially our pension nest eggs, recycling Irish style….

Just employ them if there’s work to be done. This is a nonsense.

That is an utter disgrace, 50 Euro ontop of dole( which is used to pay for surviving) from one of the wealthiest sectors in our society. Those TD’s should be ashamed of themselves, If they are not able to employ someone then they should do a trade system ie. Lone parent does part time hours, TD pays for childcare for those hours and monthly installments toward education or training, OR a family carer works part time hours, TD pays for part time carer during family member’s absence and monthly installments toward health insurance for the family Or if that is all too decent then take a pay cut all of you and hire someone to work on a proper wage.

I am all for people gaining experience and improving their employment prospects however I think 50 euros and the dole is offenisve to others when these so called public representatives take so much from our state. Yes it is voluntary to particpate in this but surely as representatives their prority should be job creation and perhaps instead of offering lunch ( in our state subsidies Dail restaurant ) they could offer even a part time wage. Many TDs are members of other committees which they can bulk up their earnings so maybe they could donate some of this money to new staff. Equality of opportunity for all but also the right to earn a wage.

TDs are given expenses to recruit researchers and parliamentary assistants. So instead of using those expenses for a productive purpose they now want to be able to hire someone for €50 + the dole. Disgraceful!

Joan Burton’s slave labour scheme is widely considered to be both ill thought out and extremely damaging to real jobs – fact.

I thought working for TDS and goverment was only a family affair employing spouses, brothers/sisters who earn lots of money. I dont know their job titles.My suggestion to the Dail Clerk is get the spouses and family to do this work for free give them a free lunch. Then employ that amount this would give honest willing people who are crying out for work to rear familys put food on the table etc. a chance to survive. I am sure a hundred jobs could be created. The TDS and familys would be doing a service to this country.

Job bridge is not the answer to ANY employment issues in Ireland. Especially jobs which support the privileged.If you need support pay for it.Too much too ask?

I applied to a couple of the Jobbridge Vacancies in the industry I work in for a couple of reasons.

1. update my skills if possible.
2. to keep my mind occupied.

They didn’t even have the decency to reply or acknowledge my application.

It would be more in their line for TDs to be on the dole plus 50 euro: that would be more patriotic.
Being an Irish TD must be one of the few ways the village idiot can become a millionaire; TDs don’t even buy their lunch from their wage; they charge it to expenses .
Everything they do seems to be put on experiences ; sure only poor edgets like us pay for our own petrol to go to work or ( ho ho ho) pay for our dry-cleaning so we can have clean clothes to wear to work.
Their wages are for buying property and building up the empire in Ballydehob and putting big white eagles on the gates of the ranch.

Murphy said he would buy a lunch for the person – that’s a first for a TD. Are you sure he said that? Then again as a politician once the person is appointed Murphy will disappear and his promise of lunch. Paddy Power take note of a betting opportunity. I wonder what the odds of a politician paying for lunch for himself or anybody else are?

My god how low can they get, there is too many TD’s and whoever else is up in the bloody building. The cheek of them, what about unemployed people who have exhausted their benefits and are just about outside the limit for unemployment allowance (dole), so are getting no money from the State……we can’t get any job because the FAS website is full of jobs for Interns……Cheap bloody labour…..this is the Governments Jobs Initiative…..HaHaHa.

Sums it up ->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YHtNg8VGE

Have the new TDs lost touch with reality so soon? Their opponents should politically exploit their proposed exploitation. Work experience in a TD’s office can only prepare you for being a TD ( if you’re not off by the endless number of a planning and social welfare appeals, trying to overturn fines, get medical cards, going through death notices, getting yellow lines put down, changing the times of refuge collections, giving job and court references, searching social media, delivering prepared scripts in the Dáil, making up the numbers in the chamber and gossiping like old women at a tea party etc). As an alternative, they should do their jobs five days a week, 9 to 5, rather than spending 80 hours plus trying to get re-elected.

Who the hell is voting Yes on this poll?

If you haven’t taken part in a job bridge scheme don’t put down the people that do. It’s not about working for nothing it’s about gaining practical experience in a working environment so I see no reason why any unemployed graduate of political science or any of that kind of thing, or anyone with an interest in what actually goes on behind the scenes wouldn’t be interested in getting the experience.

There’s no contract, you’re free to leave when you find a job, you’d build up a network… If the work is there and there’s people there to do it, why not? At least it would keep people in the country?

If politicians can’t do the job then they should get out.

If politicians can’t do the job why did they stand for election?

Irish Politicians should look further than the end of there own pockets.

dwindling numbers of staff within Leinster = no recruitment to the civil service is effecting the workings of Leinster house .

What a lovely idea! Train a fresh set of do-gooder parasites!

Id consider this if I got to work in the IT dept

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0113/1224310196110.html
Officials cautioned Howlin not to pay his adviser €133,600 – The Irish Times – Fri, Jan 13, 2012

More dail sitting hours, more legislation and more work requests than ever from the public. There’s no doubt that the workload in the dail has radically increased. Short term internships seem to be a good way of getting around the problem.

Many out there are passionate about politics and would love the opportunity to help their country by helping with the workload in the oireachtas.

If nobody wants to do it, then nobody will, it’s a voluntary scheme!!!

A lot of people here giving out that the TD himself should foot the bill however it states in the article “….tried to recruit an intern under the JobBridge scheme but couldn’t, because TDs cannot themselves be an employer.” If people are unhappy with that take it up with the Taoiseach and his Cabinet to change the law in this regard however, individual TD’s whose hands are tied in relation to this I do have sympathy for. The two people they are allowed employ are actually, officially civil servants and employees of the state. Therefore these jobs are shackled into the Croke Park agreement and can’t be added to thanks to the Jack O’Connors of this world rather than have high paid civil servants take a salary hit! These TD’s in question are trying to get people back to work which ever way they can and no matter what they suggest, in typical Irish style, gets smacked down by the nah-sayers.

Having been unemployed myself, I took the decision (pre-jobsbridge) to work completely for free. Not only did I feel better about myself for being out actually doing something, it led directly to me getting a full-time permanent job. Keeping skills alive and confidence up does wonders for a job-seeker. With regard the pay level, a lot of people here are missing the point. Jobsbridge was meant for young graduates. These people generally don’t have huge overheads and bills to be paying off (isolated cases yes but this is a generalized issue). An extra €50 a week is then a God send to them and will increase their weekly income 33% in some cases, 50% in some others! No matter what industry you wish to pursue, having work-experience in a TD’s office is going to look good. This is a great proposal to help young people get back to work and I hope it gets the go ahead.