Paul Murphy Criticises Delayed COVID Bonus Excluding Swabbers
Paul Murphy criticised the delayed rollout of a promised COVID frontline bonus, arguing that community swabbers and other testing staff are being excluded by restrictive terms. He urged the Teachta to intervene and demanded that eligible frontline workers receive the agreed €1,000 payment without further delay.
Delayed bonus and exclusions
Paul Murphy highlighted that seven months after a bonus was promised, not a single cent has been paid. He said many workers are being told they either will not qualify for the full bonus or will get nothing at all because of what he called Scrooge-like terms and conditions.
Community swabbers' evidence
The deputy read an email from a woman who worked as a community swabber, describing frontline duties carried out before vaccines were available and often without adequate PPE. The email detailed work in temporary structures such as army tents and in extreme weather - freezing snow and blistering heat - and urged that these workers be recognised as frontline staff.
Government implementation and administration
Paul Murphy noted that the Government has provided resources to the Department of Health and the HSE and that implementation of the €1,000 payment is due to begin. He referenced ongoing consultation with unions and quoted government officials rejecting a Scrooge-like mentality while encouraging swift delivery.
Broadcast access and Leaving Certificate reform mentioned
The speech also recorded an undertaking to explore RT player access difficulties for citizens in Northern Ireland with the national broadcaster. Separately, the deputy quoted the minister on radical Leaving Certificate reform, including 40% continuous assessment, publication of NCCA principles, the introduction of a climate change subject alongside drama and film, and the need for significant in-service training on assessment methods.
Calls for intervention
Paul Murphy concluded by asking the Teachta to intervene on behalf of community swabbers and other frontline workers to ensure they receive what he described as a rightful payment as the implementation process moves forward.
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Thanks, Clash Cancorda. Teachta, last September you first promised a bonus for frontline health workers who helped in the fight against COVID. Seven months on, not a single cent has been paid out and now many workers are finding out that they either won't qualify for the full bonus or won't get anything at all due to the Scrooge-like terms and conditions that are being applied. One such group is the COVID-19 community swabbers who helped to run our testing facilities across the country before even vaccines were available and even without adequate PPE in the early days. They put themselves at risk to help control the virus but now many of them are being told they don't count as frontline workers. I'll just read you a short excerpt from an email from a woman who worked as a community swabber. She makes the point, we are the people who worked on the frontline, day in, day out, throughout the entire pandemic, at times with subpar PPE and for many of us in suboptimal conditions, working in temporary structures such as army tents, in freezing cold snow and blistering heat. Teachta, will you intervene to ensure these people get what they deserve at the very least? Teachta, and Deputy Murphy raised the issue on the bonus for healthcare workers. Again, the Government has given the resources to do this to the Department of Health and to the HSE. It's a huge employer and we're very anxious that the frontline workers will be suitably provided in terms of the €1,000 that we've agreed. The Government have decided on this. The implementation is about to begin now. There has been a lot of consultation with the unions in respect of this but it is time for it to be implemented. We're not adopting in any shape or form a Scrooge-like mentality towards it. In terms of Deputy Paul McAuliffe, I will talk with the Deputy, engage with the Deputy again. I think you'll raise a very fair point in respect of the RT player and the difficulties that citizens in Northern Ireland have in accessing that. I'll engage with you and to see what we can do to work with the National Broadcaster. We'll have you to be of some assistance if that is indeed possible. In relation to Deputy Barry and Leaving Certificate Reform, I think it's very radical what Minister Norma Foley has announced today. I think it's a watershed moment in terms of the history of the Leaving Certificate and there will obviously be continuing engagement with stakeholders. The NCCA have published the various principles governing the reform and to have 40% being dealt with by continuous assessment is a massive change. It will require a lot of in-service training as well in terms of the models of assessment, the whole science of assessment, which is quite involved and which teachers in terms of a state exam would have had perhaps the same level of in-service training on that as will be required. I think it's very exciting that we have a new subject on climate change now coming into the curriculum along with drama, film and so on. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
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