Court recommends Bidvest Noonan pay €26,000 in Covid-19 payments to frontline cleaners
Gordon Deegan
The Labour Court has recommended that cleaning and security services group, Bidvest Noonan pay out €26,000 in special Covid-19 recognition payments to a 52 strong group of hospital cleaners.
Chairman of the Labour Court, Kevin Foley has recommended the €500 payment to each of the workers concerned after finding that they delivered service in a health care setting which was vital to the continued operation of that service through the pandemic.
As a result, Mr Foley stated that the court believes that the contribution of €500 each should, in the interest of good industrial relations, be recognised.
Mr Foley said that €500 payment be made to the workers as a gesture of goodwill in recognition for their efforts and should be accepted in full and final settlement of the dispute.
The dispute over the special Covid-19 payment for the workers between SIPTU and Bidvest Noonan could not be resolved at local level while a conference held under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) also failed to break the dead-lock in the row.
Before a hearing at the Labour Court, SITPU argued that its members were essential workers given their location and remained on site during the pandemic as frontline workers.
In response, Bidvest Noonan stated that the employees are employed in a private hospital, one that is not governed by the HSE and falls under the jurisdiction of the Mental Health Commission under the Mental Health Act, 2001.
Bidvest Noonan told the Labour Court that the employees were employed at a private hospital and therefore did not qualify for the Special Recognition Payment (PSRP) as set out by government guidelines.
On behalf of the Labour Court, Mr Foley stated that the workers were seeking the Covid Recognition Payment on the basis that such recognition was given to workers involved in the same work as themselves delivering service, including through contracting companies, to public health care facilities.
Mr Foley stated that the employer is a private company providing cleaning services to another private rather than public entity providing health care services.
Mr Foley noted that the employer sought State funding for payment of a Covid Recognition Payment to the workers, but the relevant Government Department made clear that the State was not operating a scheme for contract cleaning staff engaged by a private operator providing services to a private entity providing health care services.
Mr Foley also stated Bidvest Noonan’s client on the site made a Covid Recognition payment to its own staff notwithstanding that no funding was provided by the State to the client employer to fund such a payment to its staff.
The most recent accounts for Bidvest Noonan (ROI) Ltd show that pre-tax profits last year increased by 11 per cent to €30.65 million and paid out a dividend of €12 million.
The business - which employs 9,777 - recorded the increase in pre-tax profits as revenues rose by 9pc from €300.86 million to €328.8 million. in the 12 months to the end of June last.
