Meanwhile, about 150 frontline healthcare workers who developed Long Covid after initially contracting the virus while at work are will be able to avail of the HSE’s Critical Illness Protocol, which would entitle them to a further three months’ on full pay while a review of their cases is carried out. The announcement followed a meeting yesterday between An Taoiseach and representatives from the INMO, Siptu and Fórsa.
The Indo's editorial is part lyrical, part melancholy, considers the uncertainty ahead and how far we've all come: "Today being May Day, it is fruitful and advisable to recognise how far we have come and how fortunate we are. To take either for granted would be presumptuous and, arguably, reckless...However, we might also remember on this day the struggle workers endured to get their dues, and recognise and respect their needs within the limits of what is sustainable."
Elsewhere, an ICTU-led delegation, including our colleague Kevin Donoghue, addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on the subjects of remote work and AI. The Irish Times reported that the message from unions is that legislation on the right to request remote working is failing workers and presents only a minor inconvenience to employers wanting to refuse staff permission to work at home.
Other events taking place around the country this evening include a commemorative event in Sligo at the site of the John Lynch memorial plaque in New Street, with our colleagues Pat Fallon and Tony Conlon taking care of business up there.
Ahead of this evening's rally, members will gather at Nerney's Court for a screening of the documentary, We Only Want the Earth: The Life & Ideas of James Connolly.
Happy May Day, up the workers. Have a great May Day weekend.
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