ICMSA takes aim at some of those seeking a Covid bonus

McCormack admits frontline medical staff were most important, but questions those doing "routine administration" from home

The ICMSA president has taken a swipe at those in the public sector who worked from home during the pandemic, claiming they are now jostling for their place "in the ever-lengthening queue for the state sector Covid bonus payment".

Pat McCormack, President of ICMSA, said that while no-one doubted the efforts made by front line medical staff, and the fact they had put themselves in harm’s way, he claimed it was "galling" to see other groups of state employees who had worked through Zoom “from their kitchen table” putting themselves forward for a bonus.

He said the bonuses would be paid from revenues raised in part through taxation on the private and self-employed sectors who had either worked away as normal during the pandemic or actually lost their jobs altogether.

Mr McCormack said it was difficult sometimes to convince oneself that Ireland’s workforce was ‘all in this together’ when one part of the workforce was not alone insulated from any economic fallout from the pandemic, but seemed to think it merited a reward for this privilege.

The ICMSA President asserted that aside from frontline medical workers, the most important people in Ireland for those 18-odd months were those who had worked in the food-supply chain.

"It was both curious and telling, he said, that this work was not deemed as risky or important as conducting routine administration by remote computer from your own home."