unions threatening to withdraw keyworkers

[nuttymomma]

Just spoke to someone I know who is a senior legal person for a large well known union.

Due to concerns around safety, lack of PPE etc, many keyworkers are saying they are not wanting to work and apparently the unions will encourage and support them to refuse to work for their own safety.

This would really fuck up the NHS, care homes, social care, education etc.

I don't know what to think!

Surely that makes sense - you cant expect people to work without the correct protection?

First rule of first aid. Don't put yourself at risk. Why should valuable healthcare workers be expected to expose themselves to a large viral load that puts their lives at risk? Presumably they'll be needed to care for and treat people once this pandemic is over? They're not expendable cannon fodder.

If the unions are going to play politics with people's lives, Boris needs to make clear to key workers that it's a case of "attend work or go to jail".

How much care does your DF think will be provided if the key workers are all on ventilators?

Of course it would be spun as evil unions want YOU to DIE. That's politics, just like the 'Elf in Safety Gorn Mad' narrative is there to diminish the 'well, we shouldn't be killing off workers because we can't be arsed to switch off industrial ovens before they climb in to fix them or leave broken lift doors open so people fall to horrific deaths'.

Proper PPE is vital. It protects both key workers and the people they come into contact with both at home, when shopping and when working. If the only way to get it taken seriously is to withdraw labour, then they don't have much choice.

It just doesn't make sense to kill some people in order to save others, particularly as there is a big risk that the people being treated will die as well.

Government has had at least 2 months to obtain PPE, they haven't and it looks lie a deliberate attempt at infecting keyworkers for a herd immunity strategy.
Collecting key-workers children in childcare is also part of this plan.

I find it repulsive to be infected to fit a government election strategy, especially as I am only married to a NHS staff member. I didn't sign up for this.

Stormy what about the lives of the key workers? Or do they not matter?

390 coronavirus deaths today.

The problem is that the government have made no plans to buy PPE because it decided to go down the 'herd immunity" route and let people die. Now it wants NHS staff to bear the brunt instead.

Stormy clouds. What a delightful comment. Full of concern for humanity and the fear that all key workers feel.

@StormyClouds - "If the unions are going to play politics with people's lives..."

Really? How is a union making this political?

And a Union is protecting the life of its members. So they aren’t actually playing with anything. Unless unionised key workers don’t count. And judging by your comment they don’t.

It was reported by some scientists yesterday based on a study, that we should be 6 metres away and not 3, also that it can survive in the air for a number of hours- hence the need to open windows etc.

Dont blame them in the slightest.

Its so shortsighted too. Theyll be no one left to do the work if they dont have protection and they'll also be infecting other patients they see.

Its nothing short of a national disgrace and when this is all over I hope any key worker affected or God forbid the family of any who die sue the Government.

Why would you even want a scared,overwhelmed and anxious health worker that is FORCED to be there working with you/your loved ones?

Also HCP seem to be more severely affected because of repeat exposure.

Do we need them? Of course we do,the more the better. But forcing them to work,especially in unsafe conditions that pretty much guarantee they will get ill is not the answer.

I agree with the unions. Your dad is pretty carefree about key workers health isn't he?

Trade unions being helpful as ever.

Yeah, looking after their members. What bastards, eh?

Do we need them? Of course we do,the more the better. But forcing them to work,especially in unsafe conditions that pretty much guarantee they will get ill is not the answer

Quite.

In fact, we need them so much that it's in all our interests that health and social care workers get the PPE they need, so that they are there to look after us, should we become ill.

This wouldn’t be at all U.

If the unions are going to play politics with people's lives, Boris needs to make clear to key workers that it's a case of "attend work or go to jail"

Jail would likely be safer than front line care without PPE

Nurses, doctors and care staff shouldn’t be sacrificial lambs for budget cuts

OP out of curiosity what is your dad doing at the moment? I have a feeling whatever it is, it's definitely not frontline work.

Boris needs to make clear to key workers that it's a case of "attend work or go to jail"

Ooooh aren’t we scared?

If Boris had given a shit in the first place we wouldn’t be where we are. He had China and Italy to go by and should have been ready.

Who listens to what he says anyway?He’s just a clown.

@lyralalala

There haven't been budget cuts in the NHS- we are spending £40 billion extra now than in 2010.

Section 44 only works if no reasonable measures have been implemented. All reasonable measures have been implemented as far as possible.

This is rubbish.

Section 44(1) Employment Rights Act 1996 says that no employee/worker shall be subjected to a detriment or dismissed where:

in circumstances of danger which the employee reasonably believed to be serious and imminent and which he could not reasonably have been expected to avert, he left (or proposed to leave) or (while the danger persisted) refused to return to his place of work or any dangerous part of his place of work; or

in circumstances of danger which the employee reasonably believed to be serious and imminent, he took (or proposed to take) appropriate steps to protect himself or other persons from the danger.

A reasonable belief that you are in serious and imminent danger of contracting a life-threatening virus in your place of work because your employer has failed to provide you with adequate PPE would justify removing yourself from the place of danger to a place of safety until the threat has been removed (through provision of adequate PPE).

There is also a freestanding legal obligation on the employer to provide adequate PPE under regulation 5 of the PPE regulations 1992 and a general duty to take reasonable care of workers' health and safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Yes it’s a huge issue