The German government has committed to provide a €1 billion (over P57 billion) worth of Covid care bonus to its frontline workers and Filipino healthcare workers as a reward for their service in various health facilities in Germany amid the pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Tuesday, March 15.
In a statement based on the report from Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Berlin, DOLE Sec. Silvestre Bello III said the German government would split the Covid care bonus to nurses working in care homes and in hospitals.
Health care workers assigned in elderly care and nursing staff who worked in geriatric care for at least three months between Nov. 1, 2020, and June 30 would receive incentives ranging from €60 to €550 (P3,400 to P31,000).
Other beneficiaries include administrators, workers in building services, kitchen, cleaning, reception, security services, gardening, grounds maintenance, and laundry or logistics. On the other hand, trainees in elderly care, volunteers, and participants in the ‘voluntary social year’ also qualify for an incentive.
Bello said hospital owners were tasked to distribute the bonus among their staff.
“The initiative of Germany to reward the frontline workers including our very own for their service during the pandemic is really commendable. This will inspire all the more our healthcare workers in providing the brand of service that the Filipinos are known for even in the midst of crisis,” Bello said.
As per DOLE, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said they have already passed the plan to the health committee for review, and pay-outs may start as early as June 30.