Health workers still waiting on their pandemic bonus

HEALTH workers’ unions have called on the Minister, Stephen Donnelly, to ‘urgently intervene’ with some members who are still waiting to be paid the Pandemic Recognition Payment.

It was announced in January that frontline healthcare workers would get a taxfree payment of €1,000 to recognise their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since its announcement, all eligible HSE staff and Section 38 staff – agencies that are funded by the HSE – have received the payment.

In a joint statement released yesterday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Siptu, Fórsa, the Irish Medical Organisation, Unite, MLSA, and Connect union called for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to intervene to ensure the payment is delivered as soon as possible.

Staff employed by Section 39 agencies, private nursing homes, Tusla, and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service are also awaiting the payment. The unions said agency staff or contractors were central to the health service response to Covid-19.

The HSE said last night that 123,639 workers were paid, including 85,352 HSE workers and 38,287 Section 38 agency staff.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: ‘Rolling out the payment to eligible employees of those specific nonHSE/Section 38 organisations covered by the Government decision is a complex task... duplicate payments need to be avoided, and there are many organisations to be covered, but this work is being given priority attention.

‘Communications with staff and employer representative organisations will be arranged as appropriate as more information becomes available,’ she said.