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CELTIC MEDIA GROUP – which publishes titles such as the Meath Chronicle and the Anglo Celt – has said it will be temporarily cutting its workforce amid collapsing revenues due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
In a statement this evening, it sounded warnings that urgent State support is needed for the news publishing industry with a number of titles around the country facing potential closure.
The group also publishes the Connaught Telegraph, Your Forum, the Westmeath Examiner and Independent Westmeath.
All staff are being paid in full to the end of March, but a decision has been made to temporarily cut some positions among editorial and sales staff. These staff will avail of the emergency Covid-19 payment, the company said, adding that numbers haven’t been confirmed among its 90-strong workforce.
The company still plans to publish its five weekly cover price titles across print and online, but said the publication of its Offaly Independent free newspaper is now suspended.
Frank Mulrennan, chief executive of Celtic Media Group said: “I am so proud of how my colleagues throughout the centres are responding to this crisis situation for us all in local businesses.
“By acting quickly once we saw the scale of revenue downturn in the last fortnight, we are putting in place a lower cost platform during these crisis weeks to allow us emerge as a strong business once the economy recovers.”
In a letter to Oireachtas members, with signatories including Anglo Celt editor Linda O’Reily, Meath Chronicle editor Gavan Becton and Local Ireland director John O’Hanlon said: “Some publishers fear their ability to survive beyond the next few months without immediate Government support.
“We cannot overstate the scale of the crisis facing the news publishing industry in the coming weeks and we are asking the State to ensure we can continue to fulfil our public service role in society.”
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Hats off to all the student nurses out there
@geraldo: They are doing an absolutely amazing job, considering they are only young people in trainng to be health care professionals. And being unpaid for their work !
@geraldo: where will they cash that ???
As far away from these shores as possible while we slow clap them in our time of need.
@ray murphy: ah.. one who knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Not all expenditure is monitory.
Prehaps move nurses in management capacity, back to front line, this pandemic doesn’t operate on a 9to5
@herp: that’s what they are doing. Nurse managers already work in direct patient care
@clairebear: funny I doubt working nights, over Xmas, 9 to 5 some with their own self importance, meanwhile frontline decimated.
@herp: You’re wrong. I doubt you have a clue what’s going on.
@Hotirish: clairebear is totally correct
@herp: I’m a nurse I know what goes on. They might be mon-fri but they are running units and wards and yes they are actively out on the floor
@clairebear: yes like my statement said this pandemic isn’t 9to5 thousand of staff out sick, prehaps help on the frontline
@Hotirish: no I’m right instead of chat meetings holding folders, prehaps hold a hand
@herp: Doesn’t matter what you doubt. You didn’t know nurse managers are back in direct patient care and when informed you make an assumption about what hours they work. What’s wrong with just saying that you know nothing about it ? No shame in not knowing something.
@Tommy Roche: I guarantee that’s not the case
@clairebear: running them into the ground more like
@herp: *perhaps. I gave you the benefit of the doubt first time.
About time they pulled them. Far too many nurses in office jobs while we struggle on the ground.
@Adrienne O Kelly Byrne: how often do we see the CPCs? Once a week for a brief 30min chat.
This is completely unfair my training is vital for me to become the best nurse I can be before I head into my 4th year to become a intern.
We are a help not a hindrance!
They are always at the heart of every health service & kudos to all these unsung heroes or A.K.A. The Nurses
@rendams: hats off to nurses, who’s praises are regularly sung, and rightly so!
The true unsung heroes are those who make it possible for the nurses to do their jobs; healthcare assistants, cleaners, caterers, ward clerks, supplies, clinical engineers, maintenance, etc, etc.
@rendams: and where will we cash those kudos ?!
@rendams: ah you forgot Healthcare assistant, cleaners, ect no i in team
Are siptu seriously arguing that these qualified nurses shouldn’t be redeployed during the current surge of cases? And are we really training student nurses who are “furious” that the first job of medics – to preserve lives – is being put before a short training placement? I’m really not sure what this “outraged” response from siptu says about them as a union or, if they are to be believed, their members. Somehow I suspect their “frustrated and furious” student nurse membership might actually consist of a single trade unionist student.
@Sara Davis: if they pay students as per last summer surely they would have more hands on deck?? Rather than delaying placement.. altho bright side is they don’t have to repay the time!
@Sara Davis: I don’t think they’re outraged because of the redeployment, more so that it was only decided the day before their placements were to start
The decision to cancel all placements is a mistake. Not all student nurses are working in general hospitals. My partner is a student physicatric nurse and had her placement was cancelled last night. She is training in a more community/residential setting and could easily carry on with it. She has only limited interaction with her official trainer ie a 5min phone call here n there. Last march her placement was cancelled to but was hired as a hca, this time around their saying its just for a 2 week period but this could really run on into the late spring be the numbers are down again and they could possibly return to training.
@Hugh Mc Donnell: supernumerary nursing students must be supervised by a registered nurse at all times on placement. Also, residential settings have coronavirus outbreaks frequently. No one should be expected to work unpaid with a risk to their health and their families health
@Slaney Cox: rubbish doesn’t happen.
@Hugh Mc Donnell: get over it. Far too dangerous in community setting s also
@ray murphy: well I’m on my final year of the degree and I always had a preceptor (teaching nurse) within the unit I am practicing in. But I suppose you are the expert
@Hugh Mc Donnell: my daughter is in 3rd year but not on placement in the next two weeks, but some of her fellow students are. Their worry is that they have made arrangements to be in the hospital working long full day shifts and some would have child care sorted and some have even to relocate while on placement and all this goes out the windows and, as I understand it, the placements have to be completed and signed off to pass each year and without the hours in the various areas you will not be given a pass, unless they change the requirement or have these placements later in the year after the existing scheduled placements.
Based upon what I heard 3rd years can contribute in a roll somewhere between HCA and nurse and I really cannot remember that much about 1st and 2nd year – but when someone calls “nurse, nurse” an student nurse can provide some of the comfort while waiting for a qualified nurse to attend if necessary.
@ray murphy: it is not dangerous in the settings my partner works at she has tested negative and vaccinations are been rolled out. Once good hygiene takes place along with ppe wearing everyone should be safe.
Meanwhile nursing interns are kept on the frontline and paid a measly €10 per hour
All nurses, carers and doctors are absolute fantastic and deserve so much more than this country can ever give them. Yes, student nurses should get paid for their work during this pandemic but this is also going to be the best training they will ever receive. The experience they are getting will be invaluable to them as they progress in their chosen career.
I know a nursing lecturer who has returned to the wards because she knows it the right thing to do. That’s where she is needed most. She cannot teach the student nurses what they can learn on the wards right now.
I could be wrong but have the unions not been saying for weeks that student nurses are not fully trained for the horrors of COVID on the front line (a fair point) so surely this is a sensible decision by the government that should be welcomed??
always moaning about something
Again we were last to know about it last night and only last week one of the hospitals made all their students quit their part time jobs because of cross contamination. Now they have no job and no placement. This happened to us last March so why they didn’t have a plan b is a joke. We have lost over 400 hours of clinical placement since last March. How are we going to be competent nurses and will we get any of the huge amount of money we pay back since we aren’t getting the education we are paying for? They knew I’m December the numbers were gigh so why not delay placements and send us out as HCAs to ease the pressure? We are always the after thought.
@Lauren Masterson: very true..
@Lauren Masterson: my partner just got her first covid jab how will she get the second when she will probably be sent to a different placement and and miss the roll out plus she hasn’t worked part-time for fear of picking up Covid-19 prior to her test. Are they permitted to start work elsewhere while the placements are cancelled?
@Lauren Masterson: with all due respect to you & your fellow student nurses I think the old fashioned method of Nurse Training was the best way for Student nurses to learn … 8 weeks in block ( in the classroom ) to learn the bare necessities & then onto the Wards to become part of the workforce …. to help look after patients & to learn from those above you , ie first year, second year & third year trainees + Staff nurses & Ward sisters , & two weeks in block x twice yearly .. There were no Carers in my day so total care of patients was up to all the nursing staff & worked very well.. Supernumerary nurses don’t benefit the patients are they are just on placement to Observe not to care for patients ..
What happened to all those people hired from “on call for Ireland”? Oh that’s right…it was only a PR stunt.
@Adam Conroy: back in Australia
Just to clarify these nurses aren’t solely teaching. They are staff already working on the wards who have a student attached to them. The reason for this is they see students as slowing down the staff. So this action won’t result in any extra staff on the wards.
@James Leonard: my understanding is that the CPCs will be redeployed to wards?? Who currently are not working on wards..
very difficult for student nurses. during my training we spent most of our time on wards . thats where the real learning is. very difficult situation for them to be in but necessary to use all the trained staff where needed. awful situation.
Just use and abuse them by the looks of it
very difficult for student nurses. during my training we spent most of our time on wards . thats where the real learning is. very difficult situation for them to be in but necessary to use all the trained staff where needed. awful situation.
Smacks to me of a purely political move. I believe Sinn Féin were due to bring a motion to the Dail on Wednesday over the ongoing issue of student pay. Perhaps Minister Donnelly didn’t want or certainly need another bashing, wouldn’t do the government any favours eh
Where can we volunteer Please.
Total praise to all nurses and students helping out there.
Still baffled that student nurses are not paid in this pandemic, it’s bad enough nurses are not paid in normal circumstances but in a pandemic PAY THEM!
A two week break will be good to recharge the body so take it student nurses. U all deserve the breather
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