Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the plight of some 44,500 HSE workers, including hospital porters, doctors, physiotherapists, caterers and others who are still waiting on increases in their pensions.Thousands of retired nurses, social workers and many others are missing out on pension increases due to a problem with the HSE updating its computer system. Under the Building Momentum pay deal, these retirees are overdue two pay rises, one of which dates back to February last year, which is now a year ago. I understand the reason for the problem is the updating of the HSE payroll system. The net result is that these retirees and current workers are losing out on a significant amount of money. They are due money back and if one includes the two payments, it is somewhere in the region of €1,500 or €2,000. As I am sure the Cathaoirleach will agree, that is a significant amount of money.

The public service colleagues, including gardaí, teachers and many others, of these people have already received this payment. It is unfair that healthcare workers, who we rightly lauded during the ongoing pandemic and who have worked so hard through the years, now find themselves out of pocket and without this significant amount of money. I ask the Leader to use her good office and write to the HSE to inquire about this issue and implore it to get its house in order, so to speak, in order that these people will get the money they are richly entitled to.