The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said the decision to end the Special Leave with Pay Scheme for Healthcare Workers with Long COVID means that workers on the scheme will now face a huge financial cliff-edge.
The decision to end the Special Leave with Pay Scheme for Healthcare Workers with Long COVID today is particularly disappointing. These workers, the majority of whom are women, many of them are living with many symptoms that require treatment through the private health service, incurring huge expense; they face the same cost-of-living pressures as everyone else in society. They are now facing a huge financial cliff-edge by moving to the public sector sick leave scheme.
Despite our continued advocacy, the Government has not accepted COVID as an occupational disease causing injury to healthcare workers suffering from Long COVID because of workplace exposure. The Special Leave with Pay Scheme for Healthcare Workers will end today, December 31st, and these workers, will transition to the Public Sector Sick Leave Scheme which is time-limited and render them with no options for sick leave if they recover and return to work which is their desire.
At the centre of this dispute are over 120 vulnerable healthcare professionals who are suffering from a myriad of issues. They went to work when there was no COVID vaccine or mask mandates. There is no doubt that they contracted COVID in their workplaces and are still suffering with the consequences five years laters. Many of our members who are availing of the Special Leave with Pay Scheme want to go back to work but are not physically able to. Moving to the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme will have extremely negative impacts on their ability to pay mortgages, rent, medical expenses and general living expenses.
Earlier this month the Taoiseach said a sustainable solution had to be found for these workers. As a society we were very quick to praise healthcare workers at the height of the pandemic, the State must not let them down when they need its support most.