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Column JobBridge isn't about helping people, it's about padding unemployment figures

Young people, and all of those who are unemployed, should not accept the choice the government is trying to offer us between emigration or life on the dole and in unpaid work, writes Kevin Coughlan.

LAST SATURDAY, a group of activists gathered at Daunt Square in Cork to picket a major city centre business which we believe has been attempting to engage in the use of free labour through JobBridge. Organised by the Scambridge Cork campaign, an initiative by young members of the Socialist Party, we placed this shop on our “Wall of Shame” where it – along with other Cork businesses – will stay so long as they continue to exploit the unemployed through the free labour scheme devised by Labour and Fine Gael.

The purpose of the picket was to highlight the displacement of real, paid jobs by businesses nationwide by labelling them as ‘internships’. For nine months, companies who apply to join JobBridge as a host organisation profit from the labour of an intern without having to contribute a single cent for the work they provide.

Wall of Shame

The latest business featured on our Wall of Shame has advertised for six positions so far – and is just one example among many in a culture where unpaid Labour is now a state backed programme under JobBridge. A quick look at the JobBridge website will show that the majority of positions offered are not internships but real jobs, with positions being offered for car valets, butchers and receptionists for example. JobBridge is also being used widely to circumvent the recruitment ban in the public sector, with Cork City Council taking on 64 staff through JobBridge since July 2011.

Our protest got huge public support, with people of all ages signing our petition and sharing their experiences of the JobBridge scam. The national scambridge.ie website, initiated by Paul Murphy MEP, has been deluged by accounts from those who have suffered exploitation on so-called JobBridge internships.

JobBridge is not real job creation scheme. In reality, it allows the government to massage the unemployment figures while giving the appearance to take action. The Government have trumpeted figures from the Indecon study on JobBridge claiming to show a majority of JobBridge interns have subsequently gotten paid employment. The reality is that the study showed that only 19.5% got employment with the host organisation, but crucially that 29% of employers using JobBridge said they were highly or fairly likely to have hired paid staff even in the absence of the scheme. JobBridge actually prevents jobs from being created; why pay someone when a company can get free labour subsidised by the state?

Portraying those on the live register as being idle and lazy

There has been a great effort in recent years by the government to portray the 450,000 people currently on the live register as being idle as a result of laziness, or inertia or a lack experience or training. This was the message from Labour and Minister Joan Burton in particular, when in the latest budget they introduced huge cuts to the social welfare of 66,000 unemployed people under the age of 25. Labour TD Eamonn Maloney referred to young people being “at home watching flat-screen television seven days a week”.

The reality is much simpler; there are simply not enough jobs. There are 32 unemployed people for every job vacancy (NERI, Quarterly Economic Facts: Autumn 2013). The Government’s desperate efforts to paint unemployed as being responsible for their own situation, is a cover for their own lack of any real strategy to deal with unemployment.

JobBridge is not about creating jobs or helping the unemployed, it is about padding the unemployment figures bailing out business, and normalising unpaid labour.

This isn’t good enough

Young people, and all unemployed, should not accept the choice the government is trying to offer us between emigration or life on the dole and in unpaid work. We need an end to JobBridge with a real jobs programme, based on state investment in education and real training and to create the jobs which the private sector is incapable of providing.

We at Scambridge will continue to expose companies that are attempting to profit off the desperation of the unemployed through this disgraceful scheme. We will picket a Cork city centre business again this Saturday at 1pm and draw attention to their unethical use of free labour. Scambridge and other groups are also planning to organise a series of protests nationally to highlight this scandal.

More information visit the Scambridge.ie or the Scambridge Cork Facebook page.

Kevin Coughlan is a 22-year-old special needs assistant and youth activist who’s a member of the socialist party.

Read: 58 teaching positions have been filled on JobBridge

Read: Protest planned against extension on JobBridge schemes

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    Mute D_D_H
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    May 1st 2025, 5:10 PM

    Alcohol action need to keep justifying their exitistence and salaries by continually coming up with ideas such as little salon doors, labels, min pricing, can’t get points in supermarkets etc etc.

    193
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    May 1st 2025, 5:16 PM

    @D_D_H: Considering alcohol consumption has been declining for years, I wonder at what consumption level AAI will declare their job done and disband. Or will they keep going until prohibition is implemented. Maybe they should declare their genuine intent.

    113
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    Mute Karen Marten
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    May 1st 2025, 5:35 PM

    @D_D_H: Saloon. Salon .is where you get your hair done

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    Mute Oweke 68
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    May 1st 2025, 6:06 PM

    @Soundy Sound: it’s declined because of price and that the younger generation are smoking weed instead. You don’t see too many people drunk anymore but you can smell weed for miles . That’s more of a problem now than alcohol.

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    Mute Colette Byrne
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    May 1st 2025, 6:22 PM

    @Oweke 68: coke and keth is the biggest problem now,weed in the halfpenny place

    23
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    Mute John
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    May 1st 2025, 7:18 PM

    @Oweke 68: no it’s not. You don’t see people fighting after a joint, or causing any where near the problem people cause when drunk.

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    Mute Orban Orban
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    May 1st 2025, 7:27 PM

    @Oweke 68: I don’t there is more people smoking weed now than the 90s. It’s just it’s very smelly so you notice it more

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    Mute Oweke 68
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    May 1st 2025, 10:41 PM

    @Colette Byrne: same difference all drugs . Not alcohol.

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    Mute bruce banner
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    May 1st 2025, 5:00 PM

    Would prefer warnings on stuff we dont know about, like contaminated water, contaminated food we buy from animal feed compan… I mean food companies.

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    Mute Athena
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    May 1st 2025, 7:49 PM

    @bruce banner: These carrots were treated with Glyphosate. Yes, I like that.

    9
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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    May 1st 2025, 5:29 PM

    Firstly should that not be the duty of the “health” minister to announce that??
    Secondly, are Alcohol Action so blinded by their own ineptness that they think people actually read the labels.
    Thirdly, I am peed off with people telling me what I should be doing, I am a pensioner and well able to make up my own mind!
    Alcohol Action are a totally unnecessary waste of time and money!!

    148
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    Mute Daniel Skelton
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    May 1st 2025, 4:57 PM

    What isn’t delayed in this country?

    92
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    Mute Jerry LeFrog
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    May 1st 2025, 5:10 PM

    @Daniel Skelton: politicians’ pay rises

    185
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    Mute Brian Molloy
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    May 1st 2025, 5:21 PM

    @Daniel Skelton: pay increases and bonuses for themselves and their cronies

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    Mute Richard Starling
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    May 1st 2025, 5:36 PM

    @Daniel Skelton: TD junkets and salary increases.

    33
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    Mute The Firestarter
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    May 1st 2025, 5:25 PM

    Luckily we have such a caring government who brought in minimum alcohol pricing, banned alcohol promotions, you can’t get an off-sale after 10pm etc. We really are blessed in this country.

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    Mute Áine G
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    May 1st 2025, 5:35 PM

    Alcohol Action, give me a break. The average heavy beer drinker switched to Spirits because there cheaper. Made a bad situation worse.

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    Mute David O Brien
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    May 1st 2025, 5:03 PM

    Thank god I didn’t know what I was drinking.

    49
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    Mute John Darker
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    May 1st 2025, 5:42 PM

    When you read that they are withholding health warnings because of possible negative sales, that tells everyone it’s not about health, but about the bottom line of profits… health warnings are only considered as long as it doesn’t affect the bottom line of profits

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    Mute Karl Phillips
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    May 1st 2025, 5:06 PM

    Simon, your nose is getting longer.

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    Mute Stiles
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    May 1st 2025, 5:54 PM

    **WARNING THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOTTLE THIS WILL MAKE YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME AND MAYBE EAT TAKEAWAY**

    57
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    Mute Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson
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    May 1st 2025, 7:01 PM

    The warning should read ‘ by buying this bottle of alcohol you are paying tax yet again on your nett salary which was already double taxed. The tax on this bottle comprises of three more taxes…vat, duty and minimum pricing. Are you sure you want the government to steal from you again? ‘

    38
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    May 2nd 2025, 10:21 AM

    @Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: minimum pricing isn’t a tax. It doesn’t go to the state.

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    Mute Tracy Reddy
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    May 1st 2025, 5:51 PM

    Is there anything with this government that’s not a lie or delayed???

    42
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    Mute David Goddard
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    May 1st 2025, 5:55 PM

    @Tracy Reddy: The bonuses & they paid themselves.

    34
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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    May 1st 2025, 5:58 PM

    @Tracy Reddy: that’s because they have done nothing since last September. A total circus of a government!! The only difference is that it ain’t funny!!

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    Mute Tracy Reddy
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    May 2nd 2025, 10:27 AM

    @John Doe: Just 27 thousand in travel expenses, 42 thousand for loss of earnings from a previous job because they had to travel europe as a dotting politician. TD Brendan Smith from Cavan. All information freely available on the CSO

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    Mute Be Lucky
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    May 1st 2025, 6:00 PM

    I live between home in Dublin and London, there is drink and promos everywhere yet my intake is no more than when at home. But it’s very nice tho to be able to pick up a bottle when you want , where as at home my family and friends stock up and end up drinking more because of the restrictions.

    29
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    Mute RP McGuinness
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    May 1st 2025, 6:00 PM

    The Irish Government – here to suck the last bit of joy out of everything and tax you for it in the process

    41
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    Mute S Os
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    May 1st 2025, 7:41 PM

    I don’t think alcoholics are going to be put off by the warning and yhe rest of us certainly won’t. Most of my drinking these days (once every 6 months) is in a bar where my drink is served to me in a glass so I don’t even see the bottle . It’s such a waste of time and money

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    Mute Teresa Joyce
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    May 1st 2025, 6:01 PM

    Of course it’s delayed! Absolutely every new initiative or plan agreed by recent governments have been delayed or never brought in at all. It’s very frustrating even if this one isn’t the most urgent.

    17
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    Mute big john
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    May 1st 2025, 6:41 PM

    What about proper health warnings on Sugar…. and the marketing and placement of junk food in shops???

    Like if we’re serious about our health and critical of the wild cost of healthcare, wouldn’t our efforts be better used to promote healthy lifestyles?

    17
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    Mute Teresa Joyce
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    May 1st 2025, 7:02 PM

    @big john: Also most takeaway foods.

    8
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    Mute Richard Hennessy
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    May 1st 2025, 7:36 PM

    The war on alcohol is over. The amount of people drinking is in serious decline. More nanny bs

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    Mute giles wolohan
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    May 1st 2025, 9:27 PM

    Yea but never a delay on increasing the price of alcohol

    13
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    Mute Colette Byrne
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    May 1st 2025, 6:19 PM

    So not deemed important enough, to save Irish lives from drink.
    Cause God forbid we effect profits of large drinks companies.

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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    May 1st 2025, 6:34 PM

    @Colette Byrne: The drinks industry in Ireland directly employs around 90 000 people in Ireland. It’s just something to consider.
    And it’s not just large companies. There’s a significant craft sector employing a lot of skilled and professionally qualified people from 3rd level institutions.
    I’m not saying there should be a free for all but we already have extremely high duty rates and draconian licencing laws (again, comparatively). It’s already a very difficult sector to operate in for smaller companies.

    14
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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    May 1st 2025, 6:47 PM

    @Soundy Sound: it’s also a highly addictive group 1 carcinogen which costs us all massively through lost productivity, the extra strain on the health service, its prevalence in anti social behaviour, sexual crime, domestic abuse, child abuse, child neglect, violent crime and of course murder. It also plays a massive role in our cocaine use in this country which is at epidemic levels. It’s is, was and continues to be the gateway drug for young people. As far as drugs go, it’s by far one of the worst in the harm it causes individuals, families and society.

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    Mute Richard Hennessy
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    May 1st 2025, 7:37 PM

    @Declan Doherty: yes but it is in serious decline. I have worked in the industry never seen a product to nosedive like alcohol is.

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    Mute jn
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    May 1st 2025, 7:58 PM

    @Declan Doherty: well said truth hurts for many

    4
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    May 2nd 2025, 10:19 AM

    @Declan Doherty: well, are you calling for prohibition? If not why not?
    If you are calling for prohibition, step up and say so. I don’t think that destroying a legal productive industry with a thousand cuts is a correct way to implement harm reduction. I think the message needs to be clear.

    1
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    Mute Spanner
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    May 1st 2025, 7:14 PM

    Imagine a government plan that’s not delayed, it’s easy if you try, no lobbiests interfering, no kicking the ball down the road. OK its hard to imagine but no surprise really

    6
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    Mute Ciaran Goggins
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    May 1st 2025, 6:35 PM

    Most bottles have different labels when they are shipped abroad,bow to pressure from the alcohol companies

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    Mute Peter Wall
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    May 1st 2025, 6:58 PM

    Drinking alcohol is extremely bad for your physical and mental health, it needs to be banned

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    Mute dave forde
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    May 1st 2025, 7:49 PM

    @Peter Wall:

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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    May 1st 2025, 8:40 PM

    @Peter Wall: It has affected you terribly. Where did you get your degree??

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    Mute Derek O Gorman
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    May 2nd 2025, 10:47 AM

    More wasted money..put ads on TV regarding alcohol effects as in depression anxiety physical effects etc. not this waste

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