Government must immediately intervene and put forward a comprehensive Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme for workers -ICTU

Government must immediately intervene and put forward a comprehensive Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme for workers -ICTU

20 Mar 2020

covid19

General Secretary Patricia King has expressed grave concern at  reports that employers who temporarily lay off workers because of coronavirus will not be refunded for paying them anything over and above the new Covid-19 unemployment payment of €203 per week offered by the State.

Patricia King said this is an unprecedented emergency for  the country, and she called for immediate intervention by Government to immediately develop a ‘Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme for Workers.’  which would seek to  uphold their  net income.

She said “ this will require a tripartite approach to develop this workable solution, and it is absolutely essential that  we mitigate the enormous stress felt by workers and their families, it is time for flexible thinking  and extraordinary solutions to ensure workers have enough to live on”.

Patricia King  said hundrerd of thousands  of workers  will be laid off and businesses have been temporarily  closed in this unprecedented emergency .  We are in extraordinary times which demands extraordinary solutions.