More than five months after the Welsh Government promised it would be giving all care workers in Wales £500, two thirds have still not received their payment.
First Minister Mark Drakeford announced on May 1 that the one-off payment would be given out as a "thank you" to those who had carried out their caring duties throughout the pandemic.
The announcement came amid fury over a lack of PPE and tests for care workers on the front line at the hight of the first wave.
The scheme has been beset with issues including over a month of confusion over who was entitled to the payment. The Welsh Government also called on the UK Treasury to not tax the payment or to reduce recipients in-work benefits.
These calls were ignored meaning that for the those with a gross income over £12,500, the final amount they receive could be as little as £125 once you take into account national insurance, cuts to Universal Credit and income tax.
The payment is facilitated by local auditories and comes in a care workers salary. When WalesOnline approached the Welsh Government it confirmed that around two thirds of care workers had still not been paid their money.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “This is a complex scheme to deliver £500 payments to more than 65,000 care workers employed by around 1,000 different companies and organisations.
“Around a third of care workers have already received their payment.
"In some cases, payments are being made in later pay packets on request. We are continuing to work with local authorities to ensure this extra payment reaches the social care workforce as quickly as possible and expect the majority will be made in this month’s pay packets.”
