Healthcare unions meet to ‘ring fence’ pandemic bonus payment

Healthcare unions are meeting today to discuss plans to "ring fence" the €1,000 bonus payment for Covid-19 service, including giving it on a pro-rata basis depending on how long someone worked in a frontline role.

The plan will see those who worked less than 14 weeks given a payment of just €200.

The unions are meeting today to discuss a draft document circulated by the Department of Health last week.

Trade union sources said the draft document states that those who worked equal or greater to 55 weeks in a Covid-19 exposed environment between March 1st 2020, and June 30th 2021, will receive €1,000.

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Those working between 41 and 55 weeks will get €800, and between 28 weeks and less than 41 weeks will get €600. People working less than 28 weeks but more than or equal to 14 weeks will get €400.

Healthcare workers will have to have worked 60 per cent of full time hours in order to be eligible, with those working less than this figure receiving 60 per cent of the cash value of whatever band they fall into.

Exposed environment

The Department has also defined what will is meant by a Covid-19 exposed environment, with the document thought to describe that those covered should be frontline staff who were at increased risk in the course of duties in a clinical setting.

An exposed environment, sources said, is one with “direct physical contact with patients/clients, deceased persons, body parts, blood, body substances, infectious material or surfaces or equipment that might contain there”. Contact should have taken place that would allow for the acquisition or transmission of diseases spread by respiratory means.

When the bonus was announced, Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath said it was a “once-off tax-free payment of €1,000 . . . for all eligible public service healthcare and ambulance workers”.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said at the time that he was "delighted to be in a position to confirm this payment to frontline public sector healthcare workers". Materials distributed by the Government did identity categories of eligible workers and stated that a "pro-rate arrangement will apply for eligible part time staff".