Work in a power station but not key worker?

[Bixs]

I’ve just been given a list by school of who they consider keyworkers. An engineer in a power station was not on the list so phoned the school thinking they would actually accept that dh and I were keyworkers but I was told a firm no! They said they aren’t full and they still have places for children who’s parents are key workers but we definitely can’t have a place. It’s madness. I’m waiting for my manager to write me a letter but as she’s on leave this won’t be sent to me before the end of next week.

Who drew up the list? Did they make it up themselves or has there been a central list drawn up taking advice from industry (I am aware that the latter is mind blowingly sensible so unlikely to have taken place).

I would have thought that power stations have set rotas and certain cover levels in order to operate safely and without sufficient engineers in, there's a risk that they can't operate or systems end up off line and they can't do anything about it. Can HR or station managers write your letters if your managers aren't around in the short term?

This is the list they must have regard to www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

So electricity workers are on that list. I expect that not everyone who works in a power station is a critical worker, but many will be and I would have thought that engineers would be.

Point them to the government list guidance
Obviously if you can keep them home even if it's awakened but doable do so but if you can't they should allow you a place and perhaps haven't quite clocked what you do and that it's status under the guidance

I think they have just come up with their own list. We do both work shifts so it’s only 1 or 2 days a week that we need childcare.

I have emailed our station director but given how slowly things work at our station he probably won’t get back to me any quicker than my manager.
They issued everyone a key worker letter in March but our roles weren’t considered essential then so we didn’t receive one. My mother moved in with us to provide childcare too so we didn’t need a school place.

Since then dh and I have both been moved into roles that are considered critical. Also because of the new strain my mother feels more vulnerable so has moved back home.

I will definitely direct them to that guidance.

I would ask them if they teach the kids by candlelight and heat their homes by nothing but a roaring fire.

@PicsInRed

I would ask them if they teach the kids by candlelight and heat their homes by nothing but a roaring fire.

Exactly my thoughts!

I’ve spoke to them again this afternoon and pointed out the government guidelines and they said key worker places are only given on the discretion of the head teacher.

How can anyone think an engineer in a power station is not an essential worker! A lot of us on my team are parents, if they all faced the same issue the power station couldn’t function.

How does it help the NHS if there’s no electricity.

Argh, I really sympathise - such a stupid decision. Not me, but a lot of people I worked with during the first lockdown were telecoms engineers and they often found people were weirdly sceptical about their ‘essential’ status, which was frustrating and sometimes actually pretty nasty. I hope you can get it sorted soon...