A PROPOSAL by the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) on ways to end long term unemployment was endorsed by the party's deputy leader, Ms Mary O'Rourke.
She said the aim was to provide jobs in the voluntary and community sectors with the status, wages and working conditions of normal employment, and with the work appropriate to the skills, ambitions and other aptitudes of the unemployed person.
"Our programme will pay the going rate for the job, provide a three year contract for participants and roll over the places and participants at the end of their contracts for a further three years.
There would be 10,000 places on the community employment part time job option programme, including 1,000 places on the pilot part time job opportunities programme. As resources permitted, Fianna Fail would bring on stream the 10,000 places committed in Partnership 2000.
She said tackling long term unemployment should have been a highlight of the speech by the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, at the party's conference in Limerick last weekend.
"But like the small business sector and the men and women of enterprise in this country, the long term unemployed do not move in the same stratosphere as the Tanaiste. They are not on the Tanaiste's Internet nor in his cyber network. They just are not up at his altitude and, therefore, did not merit a proper mention at his cappuccino socialists' convention."
