Following the release of documents which show that only 18% of those who take part in the JobPath scheme find a job, Solidarity TD Paul Murphy has called for the scheme to be scrapped.
He has also pointed to the link between the scheme being launched and the sharp rise in the number of penalties being applied to those on social welfare and claimed that people were being harassed and bullied by the companies who run the schemes Seetec and Turas Nua.
Paul Murphy TD said ''JobPath and other labour activation schemes should be scrapped immediately. The labour activation model which was first introduced by the Labour Party has utterly failed.''
The Solidarity TD, who launched the anti-JobBridge campaign ScamBridge, compared the two schemes saying both were aimed at 'criminalising the unemployed'.
He continued ''If you compare the 'success rate' of JobPath to the previous scheme JobBridge they are quite similar, both around 20%. These schemes aren't helping people back into work, rather they're claiming credit for people who most likely would have got jobs without their help, actually getting employment. Sepeic and Turas Nua are picking the low-hanging fruit and getting paid handsomely for it.
He said that the companies were using the threat of penalties to people's dole as a threat to get them onto the scheme. He cited the 'massive increase' in penalties since the scheme launched.
He said ''Both Turas Nua and Seetec are putting their profits first when they provide this service. They engage in bullying and harassment of unemployed people who use their service, and use the threat of applying penalties on people's dole to exert power over them.