Call to retain full local employment services in Mayo

JOB clubs and Local Employment Service offices in Mayo are set to close this year.

The county will be left with just one office under changes to the employment services model.

An appeal to retain the current service, and the 21 experienced staff who run it, has been issued by Councillor Neil Cruise.

He was supported by council colleagues in his call opposing the new model of services outlined in Pathways to Work, which proposes to terminate current job clubs and Local Employment Services (LES), replacing the successful 25-year-old community-led and non-profit providers with an untested, unproven centralised profit-driven model of delivery.

The changes were due by the end of 2021 but, he told a meeting of Mayo County Council, that has been extended by six months.

The changes, said Councillor Cruise, monitise people, and it was very bad for jobseekers. There is a similar model in the UK, which has not worked.

In Mayo, there were 21 staff with 25 years' experience who will lose their jobs. Ten local LES branch offices will close.

There will only be one office left in Mayo, he stated.

Councillor Gerry Coyle said there were tremendous staff in Belmullet who had shown compassion to people down through the years.

Now people would be subjected to going to Castlebar. It was scandalous this was being given out to private contractors.

A few years ago, commented Councillor Gerry Murray, community welfare officers went from small towns, creating enormous hardship. And now we have this second blow in privatising this service.

“It is essential this service is kept with the people who know the communities best,” he commented.

Councillor Sean Carey agreed it was 'vitally important' that this service is retained, especially for people in rural areas.