The government’s policies aim to provide incentives to enter the workforce and improve family income. Among the various incentives is the “in-work benefit” for atypical workers.
This is a scheme for workers who work shifts, weekends or after six in the evening in the private sector and whose basic salary does not exceed €20,000 per year; therefore, these workers receive €150 per year through this scheme.
The scheme provides that employees working in accommodation and catering, administrative and support services, manufacturing, transport and storage, and wholesale and retail trade are entitled to the scheme.
A number of private care workers are atypical employees working under the in-work benefit system. Unfortunately, the health and elderly care sector has not been included in this scheme, which means that a number of workers have been excluded. As a result, the income of families does not improve.
The General Workers’ Union (GWU) believes that these workers should also be valued and included in this scheme like other atypical workers. For this reason, the GWU section has asked government and public institutions for clarification and a meeting with the minister concerned to negotiate their proposal.
