To all Mandate Members
Dear Member
I hope that you and your families are keeping safe and well at this very stressful time. As this crisis unfolds we are uncertain as to where it might end, many of you have been temporarily laid off while others continue to work under very difficult circumstances.
Mandate Trade Union will continue to be here for both you and your family, assisting you on issues regarding employment, welfare payments, safety, and matters which will arise in the future including the question of your re-employment.
As advised in a previous memo to you, we intend to move all our union services mobile so that you and your union can keep in touch in the coming difficult weeks. Please follow the attached link which will bring you to a list of all union contact details and email addresses for all our services across the whole country. With these it will be possible for you to make contact with all Mandate services and departments. Our offices will not be open as previously notified so please do not call in person.
Again stay safe and wishing you all the best.
In solidarity
John Douglas
General Secretary
UPDATED 26 March 2020
COVID-19 and Your Rights as a Worker
What if I fall sick and/or need to self-isolate?
If you feel you may have COVID-19, or may need to self-isolate as a result of COVID-19, the first thing you should do is phone your GP and self-isolate in line with HSE advice. Your GP will assess you and decide if a test for COVID-19 is necessary.
* DO NOT GO TO YOUR GP IN PERSON *
If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, or a GP has certified that you need to self-isolate, you need to inform your employer and adhere to any employment sick pay policy in place. You then need to apply for Illness Benefit. An enhanced Illness Benefit of €350 per week has been agreed for COVID-19 related cases. To be eligible for this payment you must be confined to your home or a medical facility. This payment, which is also available to members of a household who have to self-isolate in connection with COVID-19, is available from the first day of illness.
What if I am working from home?
If you are working from home at your employer’s instruction, your employer must pay you your usual wage. Confirm with your employer that this is the case before agreeing to work from home.
Revenue has made provisions for these people to be reimbursed for work-related expenses, such as heating, electricity and possibly broadband expenses.
An employer can pay €3.20 tax-free (without PAYE, PRSI or USC being deducted) a day to their employee to cover additional costs involved in working from home. It is important to note that there is no legal obligation on your employer to make such a payment.
Even if your employer does not make this payment, you will still be eligible for tax relief on such expenses. Such claims would need to be supported by evidence in the form of receipts, and you may be required to produce a letter from your employer confirming that you have been working from home.
Further information on e-working and tax is available on the Revenue website here.
What if I want to work from home during this period?
Many people may want to work from home in order to mind children during the period of school closure or for other health, personal or family reasons. You should approach the company and request to be facilitated in that regard. It is at your employer’s discretion whether or not to grant that request but they should be cognisant of public health and Government advice.
What if I have been placed on lay off – and my employer is operating the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme?
Government-ordered closures of businesses (most recently on 24 March 2020), as well as reduced demand in some sectors due to the pandemic, have resulted in a significant number of lay-offs.
The Government has asked those employers who have ceased trading to continue to pay workers during this period; this measure is intended to retain the link between workers and their employers.
A wage subsidy scheme has been established through which the Government will pay relevant employers 70 per cent of a workers’ salary (after tax) – up to maximum of €410 per week – in respect of workers who would otherwise have been laid off. This payment, which employers may top up, is intended to ensure that workers retain their link with employers and they do not have to submit a jobseeker claim.
This scheme replaces the COVID-19 Refund Scheme announced on 15 March, and will apply for a period of 12 weeks from March 26th.
Operation of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme:
What if I have been placed on lay off – and my employer is NOT operating the Wage Subsidy Scheme?
If a worker is laid off without pay, there is no need to claim in person at an Intreo centre. Instead, a new support payment is being introduced which will apply to those workers whose employers do lay them off. This Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at a flat rate €350 per week for the duration of the crisis.
The payment is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost their job due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
You can apply online at https://services.mywelfare.ie/.
If you already applied before the 24th of March or are already in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment you do not need to do anything. Your next payment will be paid at the increased rate.
What about other social welfare payments?
If you were working and were also in receipt of any social welfare payment such as a Carers Payment, Working Family Payment (WFP) or One-Parent Family Payment, you can, provided you have lost your job due to COVID-19, also claim the COVID-19 emergency payment, in addition to retaining your existing welfare payment. The COVID-19 Payment Unemployment Payment will replace your employment income and will be regarded by the Department as equivalent to employment income.
If you have one adult and one or more dependent children you should claim a Jobseeker’s Payment instead of the COVID-19 Pandemic Payment.
This is because you can claim an additional allowance for your adult dependant and child dependants, which will bring your weekly payment to in excess of the €350 weekly payment due under the emergency COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
What if I have been placed on short-time working?
If your employer reduces your hours to 3 days or less per week from your normal full-time hours, you can apply for a payment called Short Time Work Support which is a form of Jobseeker’s Benefit.
Your employer can also put you on short-time working which is a more formal procedure and applies in the following situation:
What if my employer instructs me to go home?
You are entitled to clarity regarding your work situation, and in particular regarding whether you are to be paid, or are being laid off, made redundant or expected to work from home. If unclear on any of these or related questions, contact your employer in writing (e.g. by email) and ask them to confirm your employment and payment status in writing. In the event that your employer says that you will not be paid the Department of Social Protection will require written confirmation of your status if you are applying for a Social Protection payment.
A simple email detailing when, where and by who you were told to go home and asking that your status be confirmed to you in writing without delay will assist you to explain your circumstances to the Department of Social Protection.
Workplace health and safety – outdoor sites
Unite has called for the closure of all non-essential construction sites, and archaeological digs, in view of the difficulty implementing the hygiene and social distancing measures required to halt the spread of COVID-19. In the absence of such closure, however, please note the information below.
You should have a Health and Safety Representative – and you should know who s/he is
Under the 2005 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, all employees are entitled to elect a Health and Safety representative. You may also have a union safety rep. It is important that you know who they are, that they are fully updated on any health and safety risks and relevant measures.
Your employer must carry out a Risk Assessment for COVID-19
Employers are required to assess the risk for COVID-19 in their workplace, to identify and implement suitable control measures, and to communicate those measures to all relevant employees and others who may be impacted.
Your employers must implement hygiene measures
Hot water, soap and hand sanitiser must be freely available on site, and workers must be able to disinfect shared tools between uses.
Your employer must implement social distancing measures
The HSE recommends that people maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet from each other.
This can be done in a variety of ways: staggered work, social distancing in canteens or employees taking lunch individually; staggering the use of hot water and washing facilities. No more than one person should work in a room at a time.
Traveling to site
Social distancing requirements mean that people should not be sharing crowded transport to and from work (for example, minibuses travelling to construction sites). Employers should consider deployments carefully, where possibly assigning workers to sites near where they live to limit travel, especially if public transport needs to be used.
You should have a Health and Safety Representative – and you should know who s/he is
Under the 2005 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, all employees are entitled to elect a Health and Safety representative. You may also have a union safety rep. It is important that you know who they are, that they are fully updated on any health and safety risks and relevant measures.
Your employer must carry out a Risk Assessment for COVID-19
Employers are required to assess the risk for COVID-19 in their workplace, to identify and implement suitable control measures, and to communicate those measures to all relevant employees and others who may be impacted.
Hygiene measures
Your employer should provide:
Office cleaning
Employers should ensure that offices are cleaned thoroughly at frequent and regular intervals and more frequently than usual.
Where employees are working in customer-facing roles, such cleaning should include touchpoint cleaning to protect staff and customers. Staff should be facilitated in taking regular breaks to wash hands, even if this means temporary office closure and resultant disruption for customers.
Minimising interactions
Staff should and enforce strict social distancing of two metres between themselves and members of the public, and between members of the public where applicable. In situations where a queue could form, tape should be placed on the ground two metres apart where customers must stand in order to maintain strict social distancing.
Minimising movement and travel
Employees should work from only one location, preferably nearest to their home.