Fears that workers, particularly those in the hospitality and retail sectors, might return to work for the Christmas period only to find themselves unemployed in January, with no access to the PUP, have been eased.
The Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, this week took the decision to extend the Pandemic Unemployment Payment up to end of March 2021 for new entrants. Previously, the period for new entrants was due to expire on December 31.
Fine Gael Galway East TD, Ciaran Cannon. "I raised these fears with Minister Humphreys, as did a number of my Fine Gael colleagues, and am pleased to see she has responded quickly. Our Government needs to provide a secure safety net for all workers at a time of precarious employment. Those workers can now be reassured that if they have to reapply for the PUP in January, February, or March, they will have an entitlement to the payment."
