Plan `rehash of old policies'

The employment action plan was dismissed as a "rehash of old policies" by organisations representing businesses and the unemployed, who claimed it would do nothing to improve job prospects.

But SIPTU welcomed the "broad thrust" of the plan, particularly as it committed the Government to implementing the employment proposals agreed in Partnership 2000.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) said the report was "a rehash of old policies, with little, if any, fresh thinking or additional funding." The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed claimed the plan contained no new resources for people out of work. The SIPTU president, Mr Jimmy Somers, welcomed the emphasis on the needs of the long-term unemployed and the recognition that social partnership at the level of individual firms was essential.

The Irish Council of People with Disabilities said the level of investment to assist people with disabilities would increase discrimination against such people. The emphasis on youth unemployment in the plan was welcomed by the National Youth Council of Ireland. But it said young people must be offered real choices with a realistic chance of a pathway into long-term employment. The Workers' Party described the plan as a "regimental dole reduction mechanism" rather than a job creation strategy.