Nash secures commitment on retired Lourdes Hospital workers pensions
21 June 2023
Louth Labour TD, Ged Nash, has secured a commitment from the HSE to pay long overdue pension increases due to retired health workers at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, by the end of this month.
Inadequate staffing levels in the HSE caused “unacceptable” delays in paying pension increases due to retired health service staff including workers from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, according to Deputy Ged Nash.
A number of local retired HSE workers contacted Deputy Nash over a delay in processing pension increases due to them, as well as backpay due since those increases came into force and in April, the Louth Labour TD uncovered the reason behind the delay.
He explained: “The issue relates to two pension increases in particular, both due last year and still unpaid by the HSE.
“On the back of my discussions with local retired staff affected by this issue, I challenged the Minister for Health and asked him for an explanation for the delay in issuing the payments and for a timeline for the matter to be resolved.”
“The HSE informed me that there has been a high turnover of staff and a vacancy gap in the section processing the payments, for a number of years.
“It is extraordinary that this has been allowed to happen over such an extended period of time and intolerable that retired health workers are not getting the pension payments they deserve simply because of inadequate staffing at the HSE.”
The Louth Labour TD: “I had assurances in April that the backlog would be cleared by the end of May and was disappointed to find that for some, that deadline had not been met.
“I raised the issue again with a Parliamentary Question to the Minister for Health and I have now been assured that the payments will be made by June 30.
“I hope and expect that this new commitment will be kept by the HSE and I will continue to monitor the situation to make sure all the monies owed to these retired health workers are paid in full. There can be no further delay in paying these retired workers what they are due.”
ENDS