Health workers with childcare issues may be allowed work from home, unions say

Healthcare workers with childcare problems may be permitted to work from home if they have exhausted all potential alternative options, unions say the HSE has proposed.

A number of union sources said the proposal was tabled verbally by the HSE at a meeting on Tuesday on foot of new overall guidance issued by the Department of Public Expenditure for employers across the State sector.

The HSE said on Tuesday night that its position remained that it intended “to work collaboratively with staff,to be as flexible as possible to ensure that issues relating to supporting child care arrangements were balanced with our responsibilities to provide critical health services during this pandemic”.

“Our overriding goal is to ensure flexibility and creativity in working with staff and managers in this regard.”

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Some senior union figures said they viewed the HSE position at the meeting on Tuesday as a significant movement on the issue of dealing with childcare arrangements for health workers.

However it is understood that the trade union Fórsa questioned whether the HSE’s interpretation was in keeping with the new Department of Public Expenditure guidance and asked the health authority to confirm its position within 24 hours.

Trade unions have been pressing the Government to introduce childcare arrangements for key healthcare workers for several weeks.

Unions have said that in some cases health staff have been unable to attend work following the closure of creches and schools in March.

Last weekend the HSE said that 4,500 health service staff were absent from work at that stage- some on sick leave or in isolation over Covid-19 and others due to childcare difficulties.

Last week the Government announced plans to provide paid leave for partners of healthcare workers - who were employed in the public service -- to assist with childcare issues in the home.

However this plan was strongly criticised as insufficient by trade unions representing staff in the health service.

The Department of Public Expenditure has elaborated on the Government initiative in its new guidance for employers in the State sector, dated April 28th.

“In the first instance, flexible working arrangements will be put in place for the other parent/ guardian/partner such as working from home or working adjusted hours/ shifts. Though not anticipated, in the event that flexible arrangements do not allow the essential healthcare worker to attend work it will be dealt with on a case by case basis.”

A number of trade union sources said that the HSE had said on Tuesday at the meeting that where all potential alternatives had been exhausted, staff who still had childcare problems could work from home.