The Workers Union is demanding that businesses protect workers from fresh outbreaks of COVID-19.
In a stinging attack, chief spokesman, said that some company chiefs are ‘failing to take their duty of care seriously.’
The announcement came as independent think-tank The Resolution Foundation revealed that more than 35 percent of workers who returned to their place of work in September were worried about becoming infected by not having the appropriate protection.
The Foundation is calling on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to consider employee feedback when establishing the need for enforcement.
The Workers Union Says
This shocking statistic should be slapped in front of the next cabinet meeting. It is absolutely beholden on ministers, local authorities and executive agencies to ensure all workers are protected in the workplace and make it a top priority. Even with a second lockdown upon us, workers in essential services will turn up for work day after day, week after week to keep the country going. That such bravery and sacrifice continues to be rewarded with fear and uncertainty should raise the heckles of every decent person on these islands.
We know that money is tight and enforcement is a process that requires judicious assessment and diligent research. Nonetheless, financial considerations must be balanced against the basic right to protection at work.
For those people on higher incomes, the option to work from home helps to manage the risk. But people on lower wages are often denied this opportunity. In their world, power is squarely concentrated further up the chain of command. It becomes more difficult to speak out due to fear of reprisals. Those who already feel vulnerable – such as the young and the older workers – are less inclined to voice their concerns.
The Workers Union continues to argue that additional funds must be ploughed into uncovering bad practice and enforcing workplace protection standards. To shirk this responsibility is to betray the people who have given so much to keep the spluttering engine of our economy running in these difficult times.
The Workers Union – Britain’s hardest working union
