Labour Court recommends HSE talks on Long Covid support, rejects 10-day leave claim

The Labour Court recommended that the HSE, the Psychiatric Nurses Association and the Irish Dental Association jointly discuss support for health service workers with Long Covid before the existing scheme’s extension ends on 31 March 2024. The recommendation was dated 17 November 2023. The unions sought 10 days of special leave with pay after a Covid-19 diagnosis. The Court considered the arrangements reasonable: workers could return after five days’ isolation, with reassignment where needed or a further five days of paid special leave when reassignment was impractical. It did not recommend conceding the claim. The parties disagreed about whether Covid-19 contracted by health workers was linked to their work. The Court said it was not for it to classify an illness as occupational or determine that causal link. For Long Covid support, it recommended talks taking account of arrangements already in place.