Job scheme is ‘exploitative’

A major Government job activation scheme has been branded “exploitative” by Sinn Féin.

The party’s social protection spokesman, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, raised the issue in the Dáil as he urged ministers to rethink the Gateway initiative.

The scheme, which is set to involve 3,000 long-term unemployed people by the end of the year, does not provide an educational focus or hold out the prospect of full-time work, Mr Ó Snodaigh said.