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!

Perfect example happening right outside my window. The bin men just came. The man pulled my bin to the waggon (with gloves), hooked it to the waggon, pressed the button so it tipped into the bin, but all the dust from the bin blew all around him while he waited for it to empty. He had no mask and had to stay where he was pressing the button. He must be breathing in all sorts from various household’s bins.

Name checks out.

It’s not a ‘work to rule’ or a strike threat. It’s people exercising their long-established right not to be exposed to serious and imminent danger at work under section 44(d) and (e) of the employment rights act 1996.
Here:
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/44

Good link Figment. I also wonder what school unions will say if schools open too early,

I mean teacher unions

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".

I can’t believe actual people think like this.

I work in a maternity hospital. We were advised by our union last Tuesday that it was a media myth there was insufficient PPE. I got an email from my hospital on Wednesday ordering us all to start reusing single use PPE, which goes against everything we’ve ever been trained. I emailed my union on Thursday asking them why they’d said there was plenty of PPE if my hospital was making such an extreme decision. By Friday the hospital retracted the order and the union advised us that our employer is obligated to provide us with a safe working environment – and that includes proper access to PPE.