Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
202. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if it is permitted to insist that community employment scheme workers work on Sundays against their will; and if not, the recourse these workers have to challenge such instructions received from their employer. [37650/15]
View answerCommunity Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons (including lone parents, recovering drug misusers and persons with a disability) with an opportunity to engage in part-time work and training within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. The hours of participation for the CE participant are set at 19.5 hours per week or 39 hours per fortnight. Where participation is advised by the sponsoring organisation to be available outside of the normal working week, this must be with the explicit agreement of the CE participant.
Consideration also needs to be given to providing access to training for the participant to enable them to become ‘job ready’ to gain employment and to be in a position to exit CE.
