Extra Bank Holiday and other compensation for Covid

Meanwhile SMEs get no help. Facing increased water charges from today, huge increases in electricity and insurance. Going to have to pay redundancy for any employees because they've lost so much business they can't take thrm back. Huge increases for self employed PRSI and increases in worker PRSI. Also going to have to lose out if extra bank holiday.

Get one thing right the majority of people on PUP payments were told to go home for 350 a week were and asked to stop working , its not like they had a choice. We all went through covid nearly every individual in some shape or form had to do things they normally did not have to and had to stop working the way they normally would. Why should anyone be getting something extra for doing their job? As I said before all of the public sector would of been paid a full wage, O.T, 2 annual increments and payments towards their pension. So does this mean that when we see proof of Garda blowing into breathalyzers and fabricating work they supposedly did we can ask for all of the public sector to lose some pay. (as the way this is panning out with the different unions staking a claim it would be justified) its ridiculous. They did their job they got paid - you would swear their employer hadn't got a 250 billion debt hanging over their shoulder or that they don't have to borrow 17 billion this year. So a bank holiday for all is the fairest way to address this

As I predicted this has and is leading to serious division. I can't recall we're the original call for a Covid Bonus (Ghastly description), recognition concept came from, I'm presuming from health sector unions .

The Teacher unions were forced into grovelling back tracking all week, mortifying stuff and at this stage the entire idea is just becoming an embarrassing spectacle.

There was this brilliant Cartoon in yesterday's Indo, which pretty much sums up what this has become .

We seem to have a proliferation of accountants giving out about the cost of this. We've had a large national debt for years that has certainly increased due to Covid but what difference will an extra bank holiday or some sort of financial recognition for certain sectors [i]really[/i] make? Not a whole lot would be my guess.

I don't see any problem in an extra bank holiday. Firstly we are below average in the amount we have compared to other European countries apparently.

Secondly, we are (hopefully) coming to the end of a global pandemic that has affected the world and our own lives in a way we couldn't have fathomed 2 years ago. A once in a lifetime event (again, hopefully) that will still likely be talked about in 10 or even 20 years time. Many people have lost their lives and livelihoods. I just don't see a good reason as to why a day marking this is a bad idea.

I'd be less of a fan of giving a financial bonus to people. Not because people like nurses/doctors don't deserve it; but moreso in where would you stop. The government quite simply could not win.

The fact is it wont be you or I paying the debt back it will be our kids and grand kids and I don't think its right to be giving any extra to anyone who simply did a good job when they were allowed to continue working and got paid their wage, they got OT , they got increments in their pay and they are getting money paid into their pension. So if this precedent is set for the public sector and they all get paid more for a subset doing a good job then when a subset of the PS make a b0ll0x of it and there are numerous examples of this in recent history then they should be getting pay cuts across the board is that alright as just as night follows day the next scandal/issue with the P.S is just around the corner and we could save ourselves a heap of money.

Agree that this is just a total political football this stage and we are all getting totally worked up over something that is not going to happen .

@[Deleted User] yes of course, there are a lot more things and people to be spending our money on . I just hate to see people slagging off groups on here that have genuinely worked so hard . There are so many decent posters here who like yourself will take a balanced view of things it is a shame to read some of the other comments .

However a day of remembrance / healing as @Degag said would be fitting . So many people have lost people or their livelihoods , or their peace of mind , that something needs to be done to recognise and attempt to bring people together again , if that is possible .

I think I have an idea of the type of work that I imagine you doing because of the compassionate and empathetic posts you always write !

We are all traumatised in different ways because of everything that has happened over the last 18 months and longer, and is still going on for some. Some , the nightmare of what it was to work through Covid , and others the daily struggle of getting through another day either living alone or trying to manage with young children through the lockdown .

I don't fall into any of those categories really as I have been lucky to work with a great team kf people who supported each other and counselled one another throughout .

I will always worry about my children no matter how old , but that is a mothers' lot in life! One is severely immunocompromised so that will always be a concern but the extra vaccine for him which we have heard he is in line for, should improve his situation.

I don't particularly want or need anything other than that , but I know a lot of nursing colleagues who were severely out of pocket since the first lockdown as they had a lot of difficulty accessing childcare to go to work, and I do think they should be compensated .

Other than those sort of situations I would be very much on the side of essential retail workers , delivery people and those that kept buses running also , but where to draw the line ?

Better no more division at this stage . Poor form of the politicians flying kites over all this.

Some people are still scared and are finding it hard to get back to normal and others can't wait to get out of this country and blame all those in authority for whatever is happening with them and everything that has happened . There are a large majority who are somewhere in between and just trying to get back to normal but unsure what that is going to look like .

While I agree there are many areas that need a boost there are also some who need a bit of happiness and good stuff coming their way .

Maybe get through the winter and sometime next Spring a day would be good for everyone to have and to enjoy .

I have no issue with the public sector I do have an issue with Unions, collective bargaining and how they go about business. The question needs to be asked how a subset of society none of whom have been voted in by anyone in the country can hold a gun to the head of nation with the threat of strikes. The fact is money which is earmarked for sections with in the public sector for services has been taken away from services and paid into public sector wage, pensions and other perks for decades.

i don’t imagine the country would be in the best shape to start paying bonuses or financial compensation to all our healthcare workers. I think also it would be grossly unfair to limit it to simply frontline staff. Plenty of people in administrative positions went over and above too... less risk granted...

i think perhaps an extra couple of days annual leave post pandemic might be appropriate however..

I don't know where you are coming from here .

1% pay increase is nothing to do with Covid .

Nurses that are part of a union would be in support of that union. Not all nurses are INMO . Just like not all teachers are INTO .

Bank holidays are never' bridged 'for essential retail and healthcare workers who are often working right through so called holiday weekends .

I have worked every second Christmas for my whole working life and any bank holidays are just added to annual leave and taken whenever you can . What we would normally do is work out a rota to cover the entire holiday period then take our holidays around that ti try to give people a good break ove either one , Christmas or New Year . All bets are off if it gets very busy which unfortunately happens a lot these days . I have often come back in to work when on annual leave because it is too busy .

To the person who keeps saying that nurses only worked according to contract , many have still not been paid for overtime worked during the first wave and the rest , and meal breaks which couldn't be taken as staff were unable to leave ( in intensive care and Covid wards )

That particular issue has gone to the labour court .

The point about a bank holiday is everybody can enjoy it at some stage , if not on the day , so I think once introduced yes , it is permanent .

As for Christmas , on the Continent they get 15 to 16 bank holidays in many countries so they can afford to lose the odd Christmas or New Year that falls on a weekend .

I have friends working in France who love the holidays there:)

God it was painful, I was actually watching it on the news channel, I'm sure at one stage he tried to get under the table and hide 😀

Katie really went for it 😅

As I said ...always 😊 and again , nail on the head !

Very bitter post maestroamado, reminds me of a comment many years ago from a certain high management figure that clerical officers shouldn't be able to afford a car lest they get ideas above their station.

So what if someone chooses to spend their money on a nice car, chances are it's on PCP and they don't actually own it...

Not sure if serious.

It's celebrated on the 17th because that's the date he supposedly died. I don't know how long we've been celebrating it but the 17th is synonymous with St Patrick's Day. Tradition is important.

The whole world celebrate it on the 17th. Would you suggest that we celebrate it on a different date to everyone else or "make" everyone else change to suit some agenda we have around tourism?

The difference is detailed in my post.

I'd like to see the detrimental effect having St Patrick's Day on a Tuesday or the like has anyway. Every street in Ireland is full for a portion of the day with parades and the like. Many pubs are full. It's a popular week for people to take off because they only lose 4 days holiday as opposed to 5. Usually coincides with Cheltenham too.

What's intriguing about these alledged magical €20 million tourism boost a BH would generate is how will hospitality staff be feeling having to work presumably on this new BH , I guess it's business as usual, F**K hospitality staff

You clearly don't know how the hospitality sector works.

War broke out at the FG parliamentary party meeting tonight, Leo promising the sun moon and stars, serious unease at his late late show approach, something for everyone in the Audience ( if you work in the public sector of course)

At this juncture, I'd be surprised if government proceed with anything other than a BH, which incidently, I would welcome.

Your 15 years should better help you understand exactly how it works for most hospitality staff, they'll work the BH, there'll be arguments over what their BH pay should be, alternatively they then, might get an extra day off, weeks later (if they are lucky), but more than likely not. My own near 30 years in the business taught me that.

Good night 😏

When they were on the PUP, they got every bank holiday "off"... did you prefer that? 🙄