Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Tánaiste will be aware, cabin crew and many other workers have been on short-time work support in addition to reduced wages, which have been cut by as much as 40%. Some of these workers have now had that payment stopped. Others have been told by social welfare that they need to take a further substantial loss in earnings before they will be eligible for any other support. One lady was told that she had not taken a big enough pay cut by her employer.

These workers are not off work by choice. They are off work because of a global pandemic. If they could, they would happily go back to work in the morning, but they cannot. They cannot because of circumstances entirely outside of their control. However, now they also cannot keep up with food bills, rent and mortgage payments, light and heat bills. Will the Government urgently review this scheme with a view to suspending the rules around qualification to allow workers to retain that supplementary income?

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