Call for fast-tracking of social welfare payments to Baxter employees
Anton McNulty
THE Department of Social Welfare have been urged to fast-track the social welfare applications by Baxter Healthcare workers who have been put on part-time work due to the closure of one of the manufacturing lines.
Last week, 150 permanent worker were temporarily laid off from the Baxter Healthcare plant in Castlebar for a four month period. The international healthcare company which employs over 1,000 in Castlebar were forced to shut down part of its production facilities following the contamination of a number of kidney dialysis products.
The company informed the European Medicines Agency in December that a small number of kidney dialysis products may contain harmful substances called endotoxins. The problems related to three peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions - Dianeal, Extraneal and Nutrineal - and the presence of endotoxins could lead to adverse reactions in some patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.
Despite attempts to solve the problem, Baxter Healthcare informed the EMA that ‘it cannot guarantee the production of endotoxin-free solutions from a production line at its Castlebar plant in the short term’. The Castlebar plant manufactures the PD solutions for the European market and in order to make up the shortfall, the EMA is sourcing PD solutions from the US, Canada, Turkey and Singapore.
The staff accepted an offer to work two days a week and receive social welfare payments for the remaining three days while the company completely reconstructs a production line at the plant which had become contaminated with endotoxins.
John McCarrick of SIPTU who negotiated on behalf of the workers with Baxter said the majority of the workers accepted the deal and was confident they would all return to full-time employment when the reconstruction work is complete.
However, he said that the delay in the process of dealing with social welfare payments was a ‘huge issue’ for both them and the company and called on the social welfare to process the workers claims in the company. In some instances it can take up to eight weeks to process the claims and Mr McCarrick said that this delay will put unnecessary financial strain on the workers.
“This is a huge issue and is something that ourselves and the company and we hope that the social welfare come into the plant and process the applications there. We would rather that than the workers having to go to individual offices and having the paperwork getting lost in the system. I understand that the company have requested the social welfare to come to the company and get the process started. If it is all done in the company it should be done quicker.
“We will continue to put pressure on politically to ensure the social welfare payments are paid as soon as possible. It is tough enough for workers at the moment without having to wait for their social welfare payments,” he said.
Mr McCarrick said that he believed the deal negotiated with Baxter was the best they could offer in the circumstance and believed that workers will retain 80 per cent of their earning during the four month period.
Castlebar Town Councillor, Harry Barrett also called for the quick payment of the social welfare to the workers and hopes the Department will be able to accommodate them.
“This will be a huge loss to the families involved, coming as it does, just after Christmas. However, now I’m informed that the workers affected will have to wait up to six weeks for their first payments. This is not acceptable. I will be writing to the social welfare office in Castlebar, asking that a social welfare officer be appointed to deal with this situation, so as to minimise the stress on the workers in this situation. I am aware of the pressure that services are under, but this issue must be addressed, even if it means hiring temporary staff to deal with the situation,” said the Labour councillor.
Despite numerous attempts by The Mayo News to contact Baxter Healthcare, there was no spokesperson available for comment at the time of going to press.
