Elaine Loughlin: Delay takes the good out of goodwill gesture to Ireland's frontline workers

What started as a way to honour healthcare staff now looks like a measly half-hearted afterthought — and it's still not been paid

Almost 10 months after it was first promised, our frontline healthcare workers have been reduced to scrapping for a token thank you.

It’s little wonder we have serious recruitment and retention issues in our health service when workers are treated with such a disrespect, that is now bordering on contempt.

In January, a tax-free payment of up to €1,000 was finally announced for eligible frontline healthcare workers and staff in private nursing homes and hospices, in recognition of their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It came after calls from unions and opposition parties including former Labour leader Alan Kelly who, back in August 2021, pointed to the fact that Ireland was lagging behind other countries in acknowledging those who stepped up at a time of global crisis.

“Countries across the world have given a financial bonus to healthcare workers,” Mr Kelly said at the time.

"France have given an average of a €183 a month pay rise to healthcare workers, NHS workers in Scotland received a £500 bonus, frontline workers in Canada have received a $1,200 bonus." 

In late summer 2021, then Labour leader Alan Kelly cited the experience of health workers in France, Scotland, and Canada to highlight how far behind Ireland is. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

In April of this year, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly welcomed the “extensive” efforts involving consultations between the HSE, the Department of Health, and health sector trade unions, that finally meant a pandemic bonus payment would be rolled out to those who donned PPE, worked overtime, held the hands of patients as they gasped for air, and delivered the worst news over the phone to families who were not permitted to be with love ones.

“This measure was introduced as a token of the appreciation and gratitude that myself, my colleagues in Government and the Irish people have for the ongoing efforts of our frontline public sector healthcare workers to protect us all from the worst impacts of Covid-19,” Mr Donnelly said.

“The payment will be made as soon as possible to those who are confirmed as eligible, through the next available payroll, subject to local processes,” he added on April 15.

And yet, the Covid bonus, which was first announced on January 19, still hasn’t been paid to up to 100,000 non-HSE staff, including those who work in so-called Section 39 agencies.

Last week, as the Government unveiled an €11bn budget package, nurses, healthcare assistants, cleaners, clerical workers, social care assistants, porters, security staff, and private nursing home staff were still waiting for their small thank you present.

Waiting 37 weeks for a goodwill gesture really does take the good out of it.

Unions speak out 

An alliance of seven health unions last week issued yet another plea to the Health Minister to urgently intervene in the non-payment of the pandemic recognition payment.

Fórsa’s head of health and welfare Ashley Connolly: 'What was meant to be a payment to show respect to healthcare workers has proved to be the very opposite.' Picture: Forsa.ie

Tony Fitzpatrick, the chairman of the national joint council of ICTU health sector trade unions, said: 

“Thousands of Irish people now know that they will be receiving payments to deal with the cost-of-living crisis in the months ahead.

"But healthcare workers are still none the wiser as to when they will be getting their long-awaited pandemic recognition payment.”

Fórsa’s head of health and welfare Ashley Connolly added: 

What was meant to be a payment to show respect to healthcare workers has proved to be the very opposite.

“At a time when budgets are stretched, many of our members, particularly those in Section 39 organisations, who have yet to see a pay increase this year, have factored this money into their household spending.”

Tony Fitzpatrick of ICTU and INMO: '[H]ealthcare workers are still none the wiser as to when they will be getting their long-awaited pandemic recognition payment.' Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

As well as health sector workers, issues have also arisen with paying the bonus to Defence Forces and fire brigade paramedics who were redeployed to the Covid-19 frontline at periods when the healthcare system was under severe strain.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the Government provided absolutely no mechanism to pay these workers who played a key role in the protection of the State in our hour of need.

But in recent weeks it appears the Department of Health and the HSE have realised that its payroll system has no access to external staff details, which has prevented payments being issued to many frontline staff.

The answer is to seek help from the private sector. Last month, the HSE tendered for an external provider to “assist in setting up and implementing the process of gathering required information from the relevant employers” to facilitate the much-delayed payments.

This tender process closed on September 23 after it was extended by two weeks.

The Department of Health did not provide details on how much it will now cost to outsource the payment of the pandemic bonus to a private company when asked by the Irish Examiner. Neither did the department say when it expects all payments to be processed.

A spokesperson said that once the contract is in place and details of payment processes are finalised, information will be published for those still waiting for their bonus and the process available to their employers to implement the payment for their eligible staff.

But the HSE’s head of HR, Anne-Marie Hoey did tell the Oireachtas health committee that “once the third-party provider that is going to assist us is in place, we will start to make those payments as soon as possible". 

So, yet again, staff are left without clarity around when they will receive what must now feel like a measly half-hearted gesture.

It wouldn’t be surprising that when our frontline staff finally get their €1,000 payment, they use it for a one-way ticket out of Ireland. 

Did you know? 

Major planning went into the visit of John F Kennedy to Ireland in 1963, which included his historic Oireachtas address.

John F Kennedy addressing the joint session of the Dáil and the Seanad on June 28, 1963. The US president did not use the walkway specially constructed for him. File picture: AP

Knowing that the US president had chronic back issues that made climbing steps difficult, the OPW was instructed to build a gallery mezzanine walkway, which would be accessed via a lift, in Leinster House. This meant Kennedy would not have to use the grand set of steps to the Dáil’s main chamber.

While the job was completed in time for the visit, in the end the walkway wasn’t used and instead JFK climbed the main stairs.

The walkway is now used to get from the Dáil chamber to the Seanad.

This week in years gone by 

1891

October 6: Charles Stewart Parnell died. The Cork Examiner reported that “Mr Parnell caught a chill on Friday last, and on returning home to 10, Washington Terrace, Brighton, took to his bed”. The same report added that “the event has cast quite a gloom over Mr Parnell’s household and Mrs Parnell is prostrate from the shock.”

1979

October 9: Cork woman Josie Airey, represented by future Irish president Mary Robinson, won her case against the government in the European Court of Human Rights. She had taken the case after being denied legal aid meaning she couldn’t afford to get legal separation from her violent husband.

1981

October 12: Then taoiseach Garret FitzGerald sparked fury over his plan to overhaul parts of the Constitution. 

It was reported that Síle de Valera made a “strong attack” on FitzGerald at a dinner attended by 600 Fianna Fáil supporters and members of Clare county council. 

“Collins would have been disgusted with the attitude of the Fine Gael party leader Garret FitzGerald and the attitude they are taking with regard to Articles 2 and 3,” she told the event.

2003

October 7: Fianna Fáil was facing a “growing rebellion” over the proposed smoking ban after the resignation of Western Health Board chairman Val Hanley.

The Irish Examiner reported that the party was expecting “turbulent exchanges” at its ard fheis as the ban was deeply unpopular with grassroots members.

2012

October 6: The taoiseach Enda Kenny appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Writing about it, then Irish Examiner political editor Paul O’Brien said: “At least we’ve been spared the begorrah element this time.

“When Time profiled Sean Lemass in 1963, its cover featured an image of Lemass in front of shamrock-festooned curtains drawn open to reveal a factory.”

The hot topics 

Czech-ing out: The Taoiseach will fly to Prague for an informal summit of EU leaders on Thursday and Friday with energy and the war in Ukraine expected to be top of the agenda.

H ospital Pass: The cost of the new national children’s hospital has already spiralled to an eye-watering €1bn with almost a year and a half to go before building work is due to be finished. 

Politicians will be demanding full cost details when the hospital board as well as representatives from the HSE and the Department of Health appear before the health committee on Wednesday.

Homeless Crisis: With record numbers of adults and children now relying on emergency accommodation, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien is again coming under pressure. 

Sinn Féin is also set to bring a motion this week demanding that the 10% levy on concrete blocks announced in the budget is scrapped. It’s a move that will put some Government backbenchers under pressure.

Return of the Mac: Marc MacSharry made a surprise visit to the Fianna Fáil ard fheis over the weekend.

He told the Irish Examiner that he wants to return to the fold as soon as possible — and that he won't be a ‘diva’ about it.