Nash concerned no provision for COVID pandemic payment
FOLLOWING an analysis of the revised estimate for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Labour spokesperson Ged Nash has questioned why over €2 billion extra has been allocated for jobseeker payments, but nothing extra to fund the €350 COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment which ends next Tuesday, June 9.
Deputy Nash said: ‘Looking at the figures provided in the revised estimates for social welfare payments I am surprised and deeply worried that the caretaker Government have pencilled in over €2 billion for jobseeker payments but nothing further to extend the €350 COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment after it expires.
‘I am also really shocked that the figures being used by the Government and some employers to imply hundreds of thousands of workers are earning more on the €350 COV
ID-19 payment is based on out of date 2018 Revenue figures, not real time data. This has been used to smear low pay workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
‘Despite the Taoiseach saying the estimates were being presented on a no-policy change basis, it is clear that Fine Gael have provided significant funds for future jobseeker payments but nothing to extend the €350 weekly payment. Jobseekers is paid at a lower rate and under the current plan hundreds of thousands of workers will be put onto this payment in a week’s time.
‘No decision has been made yet on extending the €350 COVID-19 payment beyond June 9 but the document published shows that they plan to move tens of thousands of workers onto lower jobseeker payments. That is simply unacceptable.