Support for firms seeking reduction of working hours

ENTERPRISE Minister Mary Coughlan said the Government will consider ways to support employers who want to reduce working hours rather than make people redundant.

The Tánaiste said she and her cabinet colleagues would look at any option which promoted flexibility in the arrangements between employers and employees. During a late night Dáil debate Ms Coughlan said along with Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe and Social Welfare Minister Mary Hanafin she would bring forward proposals in this area. She also praised the Labour Party for tabling constructive proposals as part of its private members’ motion on ways to tackle unemployment.

Labour’s social and family affairs spokesman Roisín Shortall had asked the Tánaiste to consider methods to encourage career breaks and shorter working weeks as an alternative to unemployment.

“I believe a scheme should be introduced that incentivises employers to offer career breaks or flexible working arrangements and at the same time provides employees with a legal entitlement to their job back.

“For instance, employees don’t qualify for social insurance credits if they take a career break,” said Ms Shortall. She also appealed for “earn and learn” opportunities to allow employees take up training places on days when they had no work.

Ms Coughlan said the Government had introduced measures to redirect jobless people back to employment through Fás and she said she would review the potential of community employment.

However, Fine Gael’s enterprise spokesman Leo Varadkar said the Government’s rhetoric rang hollow after its decision to reduce funding for the Skillsnet training network fund by 25%.

“There is near universal agreement that upskilling is vital in order to retain existing jobs and generate new ones. And with one in 10 people now on the dole, upskilling and retraining has never been so important,” he said.

Ms Coughlan, meanwhile, said every effort was made to help those joining the dole queues to find work.

“We will continue to provide education and training opportunities to... increase the possibility of them securing employment.”