A Year Like No Other
Life in the grip of a pandemic
March 5, Front Page of Belfast Telegraph
March 5, Front Page of Belfast Telegraph
Dr Seamus O Reilly
The first case of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland was diagnosed on February 27.
Just a few days later, journalists were invited to Antrim Area Hospital to view a drive-through coronavirus testing unit.
However, what started out as a simple tour and an opportunity to meet some of the testing staff turned into a stand-out moment in what has become a year like no other.
Dr Seamus O’Reilly, medical director of the Northern Trust, was present at the media briefing and spoke about the state of play as the health service braced itself for the onslaught of SARS-CoV-2.
By Andrew Ffrench @OxMailAndyF Business reporter covering Didcot and Wallingford. Call me on 01865 425425 200th Keyworker receives bike - pictured from right to left: JR Neurology ITU keyworker Agnes and niece Emily, bike donor Judy, and volunteer mechanic Sara Kathryn McNicoll celebrates the success of the Bikes for Key Workers project but warns that bikes thieves are still operating. The Bikes for Key Workers Project is drawing to a close after 340 bikes were handed out in Oxford in 10 months. It has been a wonderful, heart-warming project bringing together generous donors, magnificent volunteer bike mechanics and very grateful key workers. But there is just one downside: bike theft.
BRITISH workers were robbed of a staggering £24 billion in unpaid overtime last year, a TUC analysis revealed yesterday.
And the huge sum includes £7bn owed to key workers, such as nurses who are playing vital roles during the pandemic.
The underpayment affected three million people, the TUC says in its report, each working an average of 7.7 unpaid hours a week and equivalent to £7,300 for each worker.
Teachers were particularly badly affected, having to teach key workers’ children in school while providing home learning for others, the study said.
Identifying regional variations, the TUC said that London has the highest proportion of workers doing unpaid overtime, with nearly one in six workers affected compared to about one in eight nationally.
Campaigners for a pay rise in Ipswich last year
- Credit: Charlotte Bond
A fresh campaign has been launched calling on the government to allocate cash in the 2021 Budget for a health workers pay rise.
The Fair Pay for Key Workers campaign being run by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a pay rise for all NHS key workers who have been instrumental during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is calling on the government to up the minimum wage to £10 per hour from the current £8.72, halt public sector pay freezes, and ensure outsourced workers for public services are paid the Real Living Wage.
Campaigners for a pay rise in Ipswich last year
- Credit: Charlotte Bond
A fresh campaign has been launched calling on the government to allocate cash in the 2021 Budget for a health workers pay rise.
The Fair Pay for Key Workers campaign being run by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a pay rise for all NHS key workers who have been instrumental during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is calling on the government to up the minimum wage to £10 per hour from the current £8.72, halt public sector pay freezes, and ensure outsourced workers for public services are paid the Real Living Wage.