Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My request of the Taoiseach today is a positive one. Eighteen months ago, doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, laboratory scientists and multiple other workers across our hospitals and primary care system faced a nightmare scenario with regard to Covid-19. Our healthcare workers reported to the front-line of the fight against Covid-19 with little or no personal protective equipment, PPE, at the start of it and they have delivered care for the Irish people through extremely difficult circumstances. In many cases, they had to self-isolate from their families and to pay car parking charges and childcare costs and, often, they did not see their families for weeks. This work brought additional cost on them but they kept turning up for work for our people and the country. As each days passes during this pandemic we become more grateful for the amazing work they have done.

We stood to our feet in this House to applaud our healthcare workers, while others did so from home. The State now needs to show gratitude in a meaningful way that will make an impact on their lives and show that we are truly grateful. In April 2020, I proposed that as a gesture the State would gift our healthcare workers a €1,000 pandemic payment to honour and recognise their work to slow the spread of the virus and to save many lives. Yesterday, workers in our health service, through the trade unions on the staff panel, the INMO, SIPTU, Fórsa, MLSA, Connect and Unite met collectively with the HSE and the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, to discuss a bonus payment for healthcare workers. They are seeking special recognition of their response to the virus. I do not think it can be denied. However, the State is showing a complete lack of flexibility and humility to our healthcare workers. It is denying them a pandemic bonus and additional leave to take account of the extra work they took on last year. This bonus would help them to deal with the huge extra costs they incurred, particularly in the first four to five months of this pandemic.

We call them healthcare heroes often, which is truly what they are, but tokenism is not enough. We need to demonstrate that financially and-or through additional leave. We need to show them how appreciative we are. In February last, the Tánaiste suggested that they be given a cash payment or additional leave. Does the Taoiseach agree that the payment is just and needs to be addressed? Will the Government table a proposal to compensate the healthcare workers? I do not believe the HSE, at managerial or board level, is against such a proposal. Will the Government give it a mandate to engage with the workers and the unions to negotiate such a proposal? As we are approaching the summer break next week, I ask that the Taoiseach would give us some positive on this matter.

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