Sinn Féin today urged the Government to pay struggling businesses to retain their staff in a bid to stem soaring unemployment.
The party proposed the establishment of a €300 million fund to subsidise cash-strapped small and medium businesses.
Its 10-point plan for the recession also proposes raising the school leaving age to 17 and waiving training fees for workers who have been made redundant.
At a press conference in Dublin today, MEP Mary Lou McDonald said the State should be paying to keep people in jobs.
"It makes a lot more economic sense and social sense to support people at work rather than supporting people on the dole queues," Ms McDonald said. "It's very ironic that as we speak now, the only monies that Government are actually paying out to enterprises and workers are actually redundancy payments.
"They are paying to facilitate people's exit from the labour market. We want them to stump up cash to keep them at work."
Under the plan, college fees would be abolished for redundant workers or those who want to go into training. They would also be allowed retain their social welfare benefits.
The proposal is based on the GI bill rolled out by former US president Franklin D Roosevelt during World War II, in which unemployment relief and a college education were provided for returning veterans.
Other elements of the plan include pension reform based on a universal state system, backed up by a social insurance earning-related pension and faster access to entitlements for all who lose their jobs.
The party would also take those on or below the minimum wage back out of the tax net and get construction workers back to work by going ahead with key infrastructure projects including the building of 125 schools a year between 2010 and 2013.
Banks would also be compelled to allow those on high-interest fixed mortgages to move to tracker mortgages without facing penalties.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said workers had to fight for their rights.
"This is May Day and I think part of what we're saying is that people need to organise a fight back," he said. "They need to stand up for themselves and stand up for others. Not just to be barging and giving off about the Government ... but (get) in behind constructive proposals like the ones we are outlining."
PA