Extra Bank Holiday and other compensation for Covid

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117936457#Comment_117936457

And that's all it is but when have you ever known the public sector not put there hand out.

What about what the NHS just did. 500 quid bonus, surely that gets done for about 50m.

xhomelezz

I think extra bank holiday is a good and fair idea. I don't think we are at position to be able to throw around hundreds millions. Pandemic highlighted plenty of things that needs to be improved in Ireland, that's where the money should go. And should be used wisely..

Give everyone a hundred euro that has to be spent in physical shops, restaurants.

Nothing else to any sector, nurses will be to the forefront with the handout, so many of them but what about the health care assistants, they do the hard physical dirty work while the nurses huddle around the computers or walk around with clipboards, thats what I have seen anyway.

So increase the rate of pay of the health care assistants and provide a promotional route for them, let that be the end of it before it gets out of hand.

Risteard81

Make everyone who voted for or spoke in favour of any restrictions whatsoever forfeit their pay and give it to those who did not.

Reparations are required.

xhomelezz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117936860#Comment_117936860

I guess you definitely deserve some sort of reward..

Economics101

According to the Government's Covid data hub, 274,000 Cohort 2 ("Frontline Healthcare workers") were given 2 vaccination shots. That looks like a very elastic definition of Frontline. I'm sure they will all say they need compensation.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117935683#Comment_117935683

This is a post which typifies the chip on the shoulder about nurses and doctors and anybody earning a decent wage for their work and qualifications.

Of course all those other essential workers should be recognised for their work throughout this . I have said so from the start . Nobody who had to go to their regular place of work and was facing the public through Covid should be forgotten in this .

But to praise this work and discount all that frontline healthcare workers have done , which was way above their contracted or even expected duties, is just trolling from you and that other poster( who talks about how quiet private hospitals were and other ignorant ramblings . )

@Economics101 of course that number you quote would include ALL frontline healthcare workers .

It palls in significance to PUP payments and Wage Subsidy Sceme payments, which were all deemed right and proper as well .

is_that_so

Really don't need a crystal ball to see how the list of entitled groups will just grow and grow. We may even get those WFH with their hands out and it's starting to feel like benchmarking Part III!

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/association-of-garda-sergeants-and-inspectors-agsi-says-members-should-receive-a-pandemic-bonus-on-par-with-other-frontline-workers-40890034.html

Bellie1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117941962#Comment_117941962

I think they should only give bonus to those who worked directly in covid wards . Otherwise it's a free for all and impossible to draw the line. Although you're probably going to have porters who transferred patients to ICU claiming they worked directly with covid patients so the line isn that clear this way either :-/

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117941986#Comment_117941986

There were some on the admin side looking after PPE or supporting the NHs throughout, often on call seven days a week.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117942025#Comment_117942025

I know some who were amazing , and others who were no help at all .

It's going to be so divisive tbh , not worth it . Just look at the shvtty comments on this thread already .

There were many on all sides going beyond what they should be doing but in the end of the day you will always get the same groups looking for whatever anyone else gets regardless of whether they were on the true frontline or not . Who is going to draw that line without ructions being caused, so it will end up for all or for noone .

An extra bank holiday for all is probably what will happen in the end .

No clapping or lighting candles if they have any cop on . 🙄

Gael23

There will be industrial war if it’s only for certain sectors. Has to be all or nothing.

pots pitching the public sector against the private sector spectacularly?

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117934654#Comment_117934654

Most physios and other therapy grades were reassigned to swabbing clinics.

Maxface

Why would retail workers be included in this? Those private companies that took in huge amounts should be handing out bonuses to their staff that worked throughout this.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117942199#Comment_117942199

"The true frontline".

The "frontline" was always manipulative bullshit, I see we are now getting to the cherry on top.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117942508#Comment_117942508

I suppose that’s where the proposed Bank Holiday will come in, as the businesses would have to fund the holiday and not the Government.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117942199#Comment_117942199

Yeah heard similar from my HSE contacts, some really stepped up, some just behaved as they normally would, which was to be as little help as possible.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117942689#Comment_117942689

And those absolute gobshvtes getting rewarded would nearly make any award stick in your craw !

Nearly ....! ;)

Risteard81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117941962#Comment_117941962

They simply mustn't be rewarded for imposing totalitarian rule.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117944274#Comment_117944274

Looks like sense is prevailing with the BH the only likely option.

Dickie10

i think the first monday in february would be the perfect time for an extra bank holiday, it would have a great benefit to economy after january and kickstart things again in pubs/nightclubs/hotels, kind of an offical end to a dry january. 6 nations matches start that weekend as well as intercounty GAA leagues, it would actually have a very good affect on peoples well being and on the economy

snowgal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117945717#Comment_117945717

yes thats not a bad idea. They seem to saying sometime between christmas and new year though, imho, Ill go with 27th!

Degag

Christmas Eve would be pretty nice too.

Atlantic Dawn

Some TD mentioned having it on the last Thursday in November which would sync with Thanksgiving in US, sounds a good idea for tourism, that or Black Friday which is the day after would get my vote.

Dickie10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117946847#Comment_117946847

any day bar monday is a disaster for a bank holiday, a day off in middle of working week is absolutely useless, friday not great either has to be a bank holiday on a monday, i would also propose at this time is perfect for changing the paddys day holiday to the nearest sunday and having the monday as bank holiday, let all parades take place on the sunday or monday

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117946021#Comment_117946021

The 27th will be a holiday day anyway because Christmas falls on the Saturday thus the 27th @ 28th will be bank holidays.

Chris_5339762

Between Christmas and New Year will be awful. Most medical grades will have to work anyway, as you can't have too many days next to each other without full patient care. Even when Xmas and Stephens Day are Saturday and Sunday.... for instance this year. You get 25, 26, 27, 28 off. At the very least you have to work the 28th, some places the 27th, because you can't just be on skeleton staff for more than two days.. patient care suffers.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117947476#Comment_117947476

Most hospitals would have staff working one or the other anyway so it makes no difference. Just one less days taken from annual leave . Everywhere I have worked anyway .

What specifically are you talking about ? Investigations , labs , scans and xrays ? Its all emergency cover over Christmas period .

Markus Antonius

https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0927/1249257-pandemic-bonus/

How dare RTE mention Nurses, doctors, emergency staff and public transport workers last week without acknowledging the most important workforce of all!!:

Teachers look to be part of pandemic bonus talks

Teacher unions have said that they expect to be involved in any discussions around the acknowledgement of workers' contributions during the pandemic.

In a joint statement the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, Teachers' Union of Ireland and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation said that "teachers' extraordinary efforts both face-to-face with their pupils in crowded classrooms and in the online learning space have allowed schools to continue to prioritise teaching and learning while meeting children/ young people's needs".

The statement follows calls from health sector unions, the National Bus and Rail Union and the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors for some form of special recognition of their efforts during the pandemic.

Didn't take them long to get out of the blocks........tyen again, what would you expect???

Of course they would. Teachers sitting on their hands for months on end without a cent lost from their collective salaries, advocating for additional benefits. Colour me shocked.

Pauliedragon

Whoever came with this idea about bonuses and days off needs both a drug and an IQ test. They must have have known it would turn into a shitshow. Before I get hammered I'm neither for or against this idea it's just a sideshow that will drag on and the eijits who dreamt it up must have realised it was gonna get messy. Either scrap it completely or every worker in the country who dealt with the public gets the same whether private or public worker.

Mrs OBumble

Every worker in the country will end up getting it.

It's dressed up as recognition but really is about business for the hospitality sector. My money says mid November or mid February.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117947731#Comment_117947731

My money is 3rd Monday November..

Del2005

If they gave the bonus to people who had exemption letters from their employer it would benefit the majority of people who couldn't work from home during the lockdowns. But instead it'll end up going to all the admin staff who sat at home not answering their phones or emails.

Beasty

Threads merged

Cluedo Monopoly

Can this government decide anything without flying so many bloody kites first? Show some leadership. They should just ask NPHET, they delegated to them ages ago.

Give them all a nice award in the form of a certificate they frame and can put on their mantlepiece. What's the issue unions? all have been acknowledged?

It's sickening to think unions are lining up for a pay day for all their members here. My wife is a private sector nurse and worked 12 hours 7 days a week during the height of this and had some very rough times. She's not looking for anything, but it's galling that someone in a public sector union who wasn't at the frontline would get a pay-out at both of our expense as tax payers.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117942025#Comment_117942025

They can bore their grandchildren with tales of their heroic deeds during the Great Pandemic, thats reward enough for them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117947456#Comment_117947456

100% with you on this.......i work a 4day week, Tuesday off, so you can see I might have an ulterior motive

FoFo1254122

There should be 12 bank holidays going forward

everybody wins

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117935683#Comment_117935683

As a shop worker throughout the pandemic I don’t think I deserve any recognition. All the major retailers gave their staff a bonus including mine so that is enough for me

fliball123

If ever a secnario highlights the public sector sense of entitlement and collective bargaining culture it is this. Lets remember something covid happened to us all. Some where told they cannot work and had there wage cut to 350 a week and we were all asked to stay in doors. Everyone suffered and had to work through this one way or the other.

The 3 groups mentioned here out of the public sector (HSE, Garda and teachers) all looking for a reward. A reward for what doing their job?

All PS employees were already rewarded with OT or/and an annual increment. So hows about this we reward all the public sector with a guarantee of their job being safe, guarantee of a pension and a guarantee of an annual increment - oh wait they get that reward already even if they decide to blow in breathalyzers and fabricate work they clearly did not do or if they make an a$$ of a load of cervical checks which actually lead to people dying. As for teachers they literally phoned it in during the pandemic. They had work for kids on a Monday and there was no contact till the Friday when they were correcting the seasaw work. The parent effectively did the teachers work for them, where is there reward. AS for those pointing at some private sector companies like Tesco or Aldi giving bonuses. Look at how profitable these companies where? they had record profits. Now the public sector needs to look at their employer, this year alone we need to borrow 17billion not to mention the debt sprialling above the 250Billion mark. The public sector are already well rewarded for the work they have done and if they feel they are not happy with their lot feel free to join Aldi or Tesco I also hear Dunnes are recruiting.

jrosen

Its gone where I expected it too, more and more people holding their hand out.

I see some merit in financially compensating medical staff, especially those who worked tirelessly in the early stages of covid when we didnt really know much but I would draw the line there.

Ireland is broke, we dont have the money to be throwing away and if they have this money that they want to spend there are so many public services that are on their knees and could really do with more staff/more funding, better equipment. Lets put the money there.

markodaly

As a matter of interest, are there other countries doing the same thing as Ireland?

I know that the nurses at the NHS got a 2% pay increase which was not well received.

There are ways to reward people that shouldn't cost a lot of money, but in Ireland, we are always straight out with the hand and few bob in the back pocket.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948510#Comment_117948510

That’s great to hear.

Thank you and your colleagues for your dedication. It was much appreciated.

lyda

Ireland has less public holidays than the US or most other EU countries. We should get at least three more.

lyda

I'd also note this pandemic has shown that we severely under-resource the health sector on loads of levels. Post-covid we're going to need to increase health spending. First to deal with long covid. Next to deal with mental health issues caused by the pandemic, for PTSD for healthcare workers and for all the folks we weren't providing care for before the pandemic started.

Moving towards a fully public system - which has proven to be less expensive per capita over and over again - would be one way to get some of that extra spending by reducing the waste inherent in private systems. But we also need to have to invest more and reform the loads of management in the HSE who haven't been hugely effective.

tiredblondie

I have a public sector family member whose department was closed throughout the majority of the pandemic - they were off on full pay.

I'm a private sector worker, worked half the pandemic in the office and half of it at home .

I'm not looking for any kind of "bonus" (which my employer didn't offer anyway!) but it would be pretty sickening for someone to get a "reward" for doing absolutely nothing and on full pay too!!

DebDynamite

Whatever about saying that all healthcare workers deserve a reward, even among the HCW, there were those who didn’t have to deal with any extra hardship at all.

I know two consultants who had the quietest their time ever in their career during the pandemic. They went into their offices and did their usual working hours, from home at the beginning when they could. Mainly did Zoom consultations, or where a face-to-face was required there was major social distancing.

Now at the beginning, no one knew what was going to happen. I remember there was a jokey meme going around which said something like “stay at home, unless you want to be intubated by a psychiatrist”. There was a genuine belief that the scenes we witnessed in Bergamo would be replicated here a few weeks later, and every doctor would be redeployed. But of course it never got close to that.

So in the end, these consultants had an easy time of it. Their circa €200,000 salary was untouched, and while it couldn’t be spend anywhere, they were saving serious amounts of money.

Any rewards which could be introduced would be small change to the high earners in the HSE, and it would dilute the pool or money from which the most deserving would get their share.

Plus you have the HCW workers and nursing home staff working in private nursing homes, who had one of the worst times of it, but because they don’t work for the HSE, they could lose out.

I really don’t know who it can be done fairly, so as the most deserving get rewarded. And with all the millions it’s going to cost, is it even worth the hassle?