Danny Healy-Rae Exposes COVID Payment Gaps for Seasonal Workers
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about problems with the corona payment and the wage subsidy, saying eligibility rules have left many seasonal and part-time workers without support. He argued the rules requiring work between the 6th and the 13th of March for the corona payment, and employment in January and February for the wage subsidy, are unfair and are harming bus drivers and hotel workers.
Eligibility rules cited
Danny Healy-Rae pointed out the specific qualifying periods that exclude people from support - the corona payment required work between the 6th and the 13th of March, and the wage subsidy required employment in January and February.
Groups affected
He identified seasonal workers, bus drivers and hotel workers as being particularly hard hit. He said some hotel workers are back but none of the bus drivers are back, and many seasonal workers were not working in the required qualifying periods.
Practical consequences for workers
He explained employers are not hiring people who were not employed in January or February, and part-time workers are only covered for the same hours they worked in those months. He warned that some workers' stamps have run out or are running out, leaving them without support for the coming winter.
Appeal to the Minister
Danny Healy-Rae appealed directly to the Minister, saying the current arrangements are very unfair and asking for an explanation and a response to the issues he raised.
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Something that I spoke to, probably to the Minister already, there are problems with the payment. Some people who weren't working between the 6th and the 13th of March, they didn't or are not, and I don't believe they will get the payment. And then there's other people, and those are seasonal workers. Those are seasonal workers. And if the lockdown hadn't come for a couple of more weeks, bus drivers who are all in a standstill, and the wage subsidy won't help them, because they weren't working in January or February. And there's another part of that Minister as well. You had to be working in January and February to qualify for the wage subsidy payment. So employers are not employing people who weren't employed in January or February. Now there's another part of that part-time workers who work part-time in January or February, they'll only get the same amount of hours, or they'll only be covered for that amount of hours, now by the employers, if they are back at work. So, and in many cases, they would be better off if they were on the payment, because they're only allowed work a lesser amount of hours, and they're not on the payment, because they weren't working from the 6th to the 13th of March, or they weren't working in January or February. I want you to understand that, I want you to understand that Minister, because bus drivers, hotel workers are all affected like this. Some hotel workers are back, but none of the bus drivers are back. So, their stamps have run out, and if they haven't run out, they're running out, and they'll have nothing for this winter. I'm appealing to you, Minister. I'm appealing to you, Minister. Maybe you don't understand it, but if you weren't working the 6th to the 13th of March, you weren't entitled to the corona payment, and if you weren't working the month of January and February, you're not entitled to the wage subsidy. I feel that's very unfair, and maybe you'll answer that.
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