The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called on the Minister for Health to ensure that the long-awaited Pandemic Recognition Payment to nurses, midwives and other frontline workers is paid.
This comes as only two hospitals (Beaumont Hospital and University Hospital Waterford) has paid the bonus to workers since it was signed off on.
INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:
Despite Government announcements and statements directly to the media that the pandemic recognition payment for frontline workers would be paid immediately, those who work in healthcare settings are still waiting for the bonus to be paid.
This payment has only been made to staff in two hospitals, with many hospitals stating that they are waiting on the HSE to give them the funds to allow them make the payment. The red tape around this payment must be removed and the promised payment made.
This announcement was made back in January, yet the Minister’s own department still has not made any moves to ensure payment to Section 39 employees, agency staff and those who worked in private nursing homes. This is despite several calls from the National Staff Panel of Trade Unions requesting the Department to do so.
This is a matter of prioritising the implementation of agreements. Unfortunately, all too often we see the practice of delayed implementation of agreements and this in turn this leads to an increase in numbers of nurses and midwives expressing their intention to leave the profession. Our health service must do everything possible to retain the workforce and this dismissive constant delay mentality must be corrected.