Regional government payment announced
€150 pay-out for 200,000 workers affected by a temporary lay-offs (ERTE)
THE REGIONAL government has signed an agreement with business and union representatives that includes a €150 payout for 200,000 workers affected by a temporary lay-off (ERTE) as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A total fund of €30 million has been assigned and the aid will be paid automatically to people on low incomes who have been hit by an ERTE – without them having to apply for it – as long as their contract has been totally suspended and they do not receive any other payments from their employer.
The agreement also assigns another €3 million for people who have had to reduce their working hours by at least 50% in order to look after children, the elderly or other dependants.
This can be up to €600 if they have had to stop work completely and will be calculated according to the percentage of work hay have lost.
The regional government aid for workers is in addition to the €57 million already approved for the self-employed and the zero-interest loans for small, medium and large businesses.
Regional president Ximo
Puig said this is an attempt to fortify society and fix the cracks, assuring that in times as precarious as these, the general interest has to be put ahead of everything else.
Dependency aid
The regional government has also decided to rush through applications for dependency aid from particularly vulnerable cases.
This will enable the aid to be approved without having to send in all the necessary documentation in advance, which will be dealt with once the state of emergency is over.
Social services primary attention teams will be responsible for detecting these urgent cases and informing the regional government which applications need to be processed.
They will do the same for applications for the regional minimum income aid (Renta Valenciana de Inclusión) from people who are especially vulnerable due to the pandemic.
The regional government has sent all municipal social services instructions on how to organise their work, because the temporary closure of day centres and walk in services, combined with the confinement measures, only adds to the risk for people who were already vulnerable, as well as for people hit hard by the coronavirus.
Social services are classified as essential so cannot be suspended unless specifically decreed by the region al or national government.
The most vulnerable groups include the elderly, people with disabilities, those with mental health disorders, children with no-one to look after them because their parents or guardians are infected with Covid-19, the homeless, and people who have lost their source of income.