Donegal County Council candidate Siobhán McLaughlin has called for unemployed people in Donegal to be given access to paid positions at polling stations and count centres during the local and European elections in May.
“Here in Donegal there are many people who would value the experience to do this work, have the skills, and appreciate the opportunity to participate in working as part of the process,” said McLaughlin, who is running in the Letterkenny/Milford Electoral Area. “This is also an opportunity not to be missed for young people to engage with the electoral system.”
McLaughlin, 51, a well-known community activist who has been a respected and effective member of numerous local boards and committees, supports the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) in its call for unemployed people to be given greater opportunities to be employed during voting and counting for the upcoming elections.
“The INOU had previously written to the government, calling for a minimum of 20 per cent of polling station positions to be allocated to unemployed people,” McLaughlin said.
“They also called for a more transparent recruitment system to be put into place, which gives unemployed people an equal opportunity to access these positions. Such a system should be widely publicised so that unemployed people are made aware of how to register their interest in these positions. The system should be one that positively encourages and welcomes applications from unemployed people.”
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