Angry at my work basically forcing us to work.

[Jennywren2978]

I am absolutely livid at the moment, so angry. I am a key worker (nursery nurse) with a child myself. I want to keep my family safe and therefore not work. I have been told that as they are getting help to pay wages (governments 80% pledge) I am to attend or not get paid. I'm sure this is not what the government was intending the money to be used like. I will try to get hold of my MP though to clarify.

I sincerely hope that this is NOT what the government is intending to fund.

You don't seem to understand that key workers should be kept to a minimum needed and that not all nursery staff should be needed or made to come in if minimum working was adhered to to reduced infection rate. I'm a single parent and have no one to watch my child other than school and I feel the less children mixing the better. I mean that is why they closed the schools!!

OP you've misunderstood the 80% pledge. It isn't to encourage you not to work. It's to ensure that where there is no work and a business would have to make you redundant then you get kept on and paid. If there's work for you to do, you can't refuse to go in and expect still to get paid. Obviously they can't force you to work but they don't have to pay you if there is work to do and you won't do it.

I totally agree Jenny. Do sympathise, it is understandable

Ooh there are frontline people who are putting their lives at risk

So have they invented work for you to do rather than you be paid to be at home? A friend of mine manages a team and was adamant that because they were being paid they should all be at work and as such they're all their doing menial crap that doesn't need to be done. (Is a customer service industry that's been closed down) All mixing together unnecessarily.

Is that what you mean OP?

jenny well if there is less work to do suggest an alternative rota.

This is what we are doing first on with a back up buddy.
If you are first on and sick your back up buddy goes in.

Otherwise they stay at home to minimise exposure.

Once we account for sickness, Hugh risk individuals and individuals stuck at home for 14days because their child got a temperature we are down to about 50% workforce. Your workplace is likely to be similarly affected.

One of my local bursaries is insisting all 13 staff come in to look after 4 children, utterly ridiculous and really bad. It means if the staff all catch it off the same child none will be available to work!

I have been told that as they are getting help to pay wages (governments 80% pledge) I am to attend or not get paid.

Either you or your employer has got the wrong end of the stick here - they are not getting free money from the government to pay wages of people still working normally.

But you still have to honour your normal employment contract if work is open and you want to get paid. They're not ripping up all the existing contracts.

But if you are a key worker, you are key and need to be working because your job is essential. If it’s not essential, you aren’t a key worker. You can’t have it both ways. Ask your employer about staffing ratios, rotas and how and why staff are organised. If you are a key worker, your child will have a school place. If the nursery stands down 50% of staff, what is their policy for choosing? I would say those with underlying health concerns would be the first consideration - as an example.

@Jennywren2978, tbh, previous posters are absolutely right. You are selfish. Tat government funding is for businesses forced to shut or do not have the trade to continue to stay open.

Do you have underlying health issues?

So some of your colleagues should work but not you.....ok then.

Lots and lots of people are having to work to keep the county running. It’s scary and difficult, but it’s what has to happen. Be grateful that you aren’t on the front line, caring for the sick.

Jennywren2978 your employer has misunderstood - they will not receive an 80% salary subsidy if they stay open.

The UK definition of key workets is a joke and means the shut down won't work.

Most other countries have a tighter list of key workers and require both parents to be key workers with no other childcare and children under 12 (or a single parent key worker with children under 12) to access emergency childcare - most nurseries and schools are completely closed, just a very few opening for the very few people who qualify.

Only about 1/4 of a much shorter list qualify because of the sensible both patents/ single parent restriction.

We're in Germany, I'm a key worker, DH isn't (though under the UK's so loose it's meaningless list he could be) so we don't qualify for emergency childcare.

Gosh, you are incredibly selfish but thankfully most people aren't like you.
I can tell you that in my work place there are one or two people who " don't feel comfortable" coming to work, they won't be paid and those of us that are still going in will never forget the type of person that we now know them to be.
I work in a large wholesaler that keeps small grocery shops stocked up.

opinionated do you mean doctors in Italy or here in the UK?

It would make a lot of sense for front line nurses/doctors to be isolated starting about 5 weeks ago.

In the OP's situation it would make sense to offer the choice to employees to keep working on full pay (plus paid overtime, time and a half if they're not paying those choosing not to work) or to stay home on reduced or no pay but with full assurance that their jobs are there to go back to as normal when schools go back.

That would be fair.

Is your nursery staying open OP? It should be shut aside from the exceptions stated, so minimal staff required.

Your employer would be fraudulent if they are claiming the 80% money but not laying you off. It's for people who are not at work but are retained until the virus issue is under control.

You're a key worker.

Why shouldn't you work?

Schools are not closed op! They are open to key workers.

I am a parent to four children and a teacher who has to work and take them with me!

We all have to help...think of those in the NHS!

Almost every family has a key worker according to Boris's list. That combined with it being enough for one parent to be a key worker even if the other is a sahp/ unemployed/ working from home means your shut down won't work as too many children are going to school or nursery as normal and sharing germs.

You’ve gotta go to work. If you don’t want to be a “key worker” quit your job and maybe find something where it wouldn’t matter whether you went in or not. You should be proud you’re a key worker, you’re helping people that are needed to get us through this tough time.

My sister works for M&S, she’s super proud to be a key worker. She’s making sure people have food. She has 3 children at home, not once has she moaned about going into work, she’s happy to as she knows she helping out in this crap situation.

When you wake up and get ready for work, don’t think about yourself, think about the fact you’re helping everyone else make a difference.

Then resign. Effective immediately.

I'm in a primary school and still having to go in, too. And I have 3 kids.

But I want doctors and nurses to be able to keep going to work ... I NEED them to do so ... so this is my job.

It's your job, too. Not just your co-workers' job to do it. If you don't 'want' to, then quit.

The government, put that in place if employers dont have work, to stop them laying people off

If there is work available, but as a key worker you choose not to work, then it's not available for you.

You are choosing to do this. If all key workers, me included, decided not to work....we would be fucked.

It's ok with the attitude of most here the country will go in to lockdown as most don't seem to understand that if you can the best thing to do is self isolate for the good of the country. If all those classed as key workers went to work and put children in childcare then the virus will continue to ravage through the country causing more hospital admissions and more sick meaning higher likelihood of NHS collapsing under pressure. So therefore if keyworkers were kept to minimum not all, then less mingling + less infection = better for NHS to cope. My nursery half lots of staff without children who could work with out filling up the schools and would if I didn't have a child myself.