Pandemic bonus becomes loaded issue as workers line up to stake their claim
With a chorus of sectors claiming entitlement to a pandemic bonus, the definition of frontline workers has expanded far beyond those who worked in hospitals during the worst days of Covid-19
Moira Wynne, a frontline nurse at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, has found it frustrating to listen to the debate about the cost of the proposed pandemic bonus.
She is aware of the emerging divisions, with different groups of workers all laying claim to the reward and government warnings that it could cost up to €1 billion for the public sector alone.
“It’s very difficult to listen to the government now – because during the pandemic, ...