Danny Healy-Rae blasts pandemic payment gaps and pub closures
Danny Healy-Rae addressed workers' losses during the pandemic, criticising gaps in the pandemic payment, anomalies in the wage subsidy and the denial of pub reopenings in rural areas. He urged the minister to deal with seasonal workers, older workers, bus drivers and publicans he says were left behind.
Tribute to frontline workers
He thanked frontline workers for their service during the height of the pandemic, naming nurses, doctors, canteen staff, home helps, shop workers and emergency services for keeping hospitals, nursing homes and communities functioning.
Seasonal workers and older workers left behind
He warned that seasonal workers missed out on the pandemic payment because the lockdown arrived ahead of pay schedules and that many are still not working and their stamps are nearly gone. He also called for over 66ers who created employment to be brought up to the 350 from their old age pension, arguing they still have bills to pay.
Local transport workers affected
He highlighted bus drivers in Kerry, saying tour buses are idle and drivers did not receive the pandemic payment, leaving them without support while services remain suspended.
Wage subsidy anomaly
He identified an anomaly in the wage subsidy scheme, noting it only applies where employees were working in January or February, and that employees who were not working then are not entitled to the subsidy. He also said workers who had low hours during quiet periods are capped and employers cannot claim more for them now.
Pub reopenings and alleged discrimination in rural Ireland
He criticised the decision to keep many rural pubs closed, arguing publicans and their workers have been denied the right to reopen despite their premises being shut for 17 or 18 weeks. He said rural customers must sometimes travel 15 or 16 miles to the nearest town and questioned rules such as requiring the purchase of a meal to get a pint, calling the approach discriminatory and unfair.
Call on the minister
Throughout the speech he repeatedly asked the minister to address these issues and to correct what he described as unfair treatment of workers, publicans and rural communities.
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First of all I want to thank the Social Democrats for giving us the opportunity to talk about workers and I too want to thank all the frontline workers during the height of the pandemic when they went to work and when they went into hospitals, nursing homes and all those who worked whether it was the nurses or the doctors or the staff in the canteens that took the food to the patients the home helps that went around to houses and tried to keep all people going and see after them, whether it was the shop workers who held the fort and held working inside the counter and made sure that people could get food and supplies and all those who worked in the emergency services. However, there has been some people left behind in the pandemic with the pandemic payment. You had seasonal workers who if the lockdown hadn't come for another week or two, they would all have got paid or got a payment, but they didn't and a lot of them are not yet working and their stamps are nearly gone now. And I'm asking you, Minister, you were part of the administration before that set it up, I'm asking you to deal with this. The over 66ers that worked and a lot of them created employment, all we asked for them was that they be brought up to the 350 from their old age pension because they have bills to pay for the employment that they were in and that they were creating. And sadly, they were left behind bus drivers in Kerry, all the tour buses are resting idle and the drivers, they're all, they didn't get the payment either. I want to talk about the wage subsidy. There's an anomaly in that that has to be addressed. The wage subsidy only applies to firms where the employees were working in January or February. And those who weren't working are not entitled to get the wage subsidy now. And then those who were only worth seven hours, maybe 20 hours in the quiet time, they won't get any more, the employer can't get any more than that for them now. Now, Minister, your companion there, your member of the government, Robert Troy, he said that for the duty of this government to try to get people back working. But a great opportunity was missed again today when publicans in rural Ireland were denied the right to bring back their workers and denied the right to open their doors. I'm asking you, Minister, what did those publicans do wrong? Did they add to the pandemic? Did they add to the virus? No, they didn't because their doors have been shut since he shut them 17 or 18 weeks ago. And he denied them the right. It's like you're blaming them for the virus. And they have no role or did play no adverse role in creating or expanding the virus. And if certain things happened up here in Dublin where two-thirds of the pubs are open, it didn't happen in rural Ireland. They're discriminating against the publicans and the workers and the people who would like to go and enjoy a pint or two. They can't do that now without traveling 15 or 16 miles to the next biggest town. Why do they have to eat a meal to qualify for getting a pint? It's not right or it's not fair and it's doing no good for the coronavirus. And you're discriminating against them and their workers. Thank you very much.
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