They also want Cork County Council, which has around 300 people engaged or designated for posts under the scheme, to eventually guarantee permanent jobs with the local authority.

Sinn Féin had initially sought to have the council withdraw from the schemes but eventually agreed to a compromise presented by Fianna Fáil to have the Government lift a jobs embargo on councils.

Sinn Féin councillor Kieran McCarthy was scathing about the schemes, which offer participants a small extra payment on top of social welfare allowances. He was angry that those who refused to take up the appointments could be penalised by losing some allowances.

He described JobBridge and Gateway as “cheap labour schemes” and claimed that they were being used by the Government to manipulate unemployment figures — a claim which Fine Gael members dismissed.

“These people want real, full-paying, jobs,” said Mr McCarthy. “Using them is like using the starving who built famine roads to nowhere. We can’t employ them properly because of the embargo on recruitment and we can’t deliver many services because we haven’t got enough manpower.”

Fine Gael councillors Noel O’Donovan, Susan McCarthy, and Kevin Murphy defended the schemes, but Independent councillor Michael Collins backed the Sinn Féin stance.

“I would support the Gateway scheme if it led to a worker getting a full-time job, but I just see this as exploiting people,” said Mr Collins.

Sinn Féin councillor Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said the schemes were flawed. “Labour is being devalued with schemes like this,” he said. “It’s no coincidence that Ireland is second highest in OECD for lowest rates of pay. It has displaced real work.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Kevin O’Keeffe claimed that the schemes were “creating yellow-pack jobs”.

Fianna Fáil councillor Alan Coleman, the county mayor, said the council should insist that the Government lifts the recruitment embargo on local authorities so workers trained by it via the schemes could eventually get full-time council jobs.

Since the schemes were unveiled, the council has engaged 121 interns through JobBridge, with nine currently on its books.

They have been given opportunities to get experience as tourism guides, arts events co-ordinators, and laboratory technicians.

The council has 215 positions designated under the Gateway scheme and will use workers for mainly outdoor labour.

Council officials said the Government had lifted the recruitment embargo for special cases such as fire fighters and lifeguards.

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