End of disaster relief payments means SA workers will attend shifts with Covid, unions say
Covid infectious workers are no longer eligible for payments due to time away from work, and the number of cases in the state will suffer because of it, SA unions warn.
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Covid infectious staff will work their shifts to pay bills after the federal government axed pandemic leave payments, SA Unions says.
The group is now urging the government to reverse its decision to scrap the payments which saw eligible South Australians offered up to $750 if exposed to the virus.
The money could be accessed by people forced to take time away from work due to being infected by Covid, or having to care for someone with Covid.
SA Unions secretary Dale Beasley said thousands of workers don’t have paid sick leave.
He said sick workers have now been put in an impossible position and without the payment spread in the community will increase.
“The greatest risk to public health is insecure work, that forces the impossible decision between doing the right thing and not being able to afford to live,” Mr Beasley said.
He said the government did not consult workers or businesses before scrapping the payment.
“They’re punishing workers that do the right thing and isolate, it’s just passing all the risk and responsibility on to workers,” he said.
“The Albanese government should reverse their decision and continue to support working people in the midst of an ongoing crisis.”
The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment began on January 18 and ended on June 30.
It was a lump-sum payment of $450 for those who have missed eight hours work, or $750 for those who missed a full week of work after being exposed to coronavirus.
The warning comes amid a fresh plea to restore masks for crowded indoor venues, as thousands of sick people miss out on lifesaving Covid drugs because the rules are too complex.
Meanwhile, Australia’s top doctors will urgently consider rolling out a fourth Covid dose to the nation, with two “sneaky” new subvariants set to become the dominant strain in just a few weeks.
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