Pay the Laois Offaly Covid-19 frontline the €1,000 they are owed demands TD

Workers in Laois and Offaly are still waiting for pandemic bonus payment promised by Government, according to Laois TD Brian Stanley who wants the Government to pay up.

The Laois Offaly Sinn Féin TD wants Micheál Martin over the overdue debt promised in January 2022.

“The Taoiseach must directly intervene to ensure frontline workers in Laois/Offaly receive the pandemic bonus payment that was signed off on by cabinet nine months ago,” he said

Deputy Stanley outlined why they deserve money.

“During the pandemic, frontline workers here in Laois/Offaly went above and beyond and worked in extremely stressful circumstances to protect all our communities. 

"They were rightly praised at the time including by the Government, but this praise has failed to turn into action. It has now been more than nine months since the cabinet signed off on a pandemic bonus payment for frontline healthcare staff. Despite this, many workers have still not received this payment that they were promised," he said.

The Sinn Féin representative says there are plenty of types of staff that haven't seen sight of the cash. 

“Workers throughout the constituency such as caterers, cleaners, security staff and in particular those employed by agencies and many more on the frontline in our local hospitals and healthcare settings have been contacting me to express their concern that they are still waiting for this payment.

“They are entitled to receive this payment, however the government has failed to follow through on their promises and workers have been left in the lurch with no answers and no sense of urgency from the Government, he said.

The TD believes ill will has grown among those still waiting.  

"These Frontline workers have been let down badly by this Government’s failure to follow through on their promises.

“This is absolutely unacceptable. I have raised a number of cases in the Constituency with the Minister for Health and Sinn Féin has written to the Taoiseach this week, urging him to intervene directly to ensure this payment is paid promptly. The Taoiseach needs to get a grip on this issue, so that this disrespect to frontline health staff ends,” he said.

The TD said Sinn Féin would continue to keep the pressure on the Government until this matter is resolved.

The Government decided on January 19 2022 that Department of Health provide "special additional financial recognition" to those eligible frontline health care workers based on the particular additional risks they faced in the performance of their normal duty during the pandemic.

Anne Marie Hoey, National Director of Human Resources HSE, issued a circular to senior HSE managers on April 19 2022.

It said the ‘Pandemic Special Recognition Payment’ full value is worth €1,000, free of all taxes. She said eligible employees must have been employed between 1st of March 2020 and 30th of June 2021 and have been identified as working in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments.

Potential for hundreds of new Portlaoise houses in huge Laois land sale

Part-time employees would received the payment pro-rata. Employees who worked less than four weeks in the specified period are not in scope of the scheme.

No date was put on when the money would be paid but the Circular said that, ordinarily, all eligible employees employed for the duration of the period shall have their payment processed automatically by their local HR.