Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Message from Grant Shapps work , please (at his home)... Stop staying away
Unions:our staff want to stay at home Cops take action against 9 pubs
PM Boris Johnson has been urging to go back to work since July, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak is winding up the furlough scheme in October.
Ministers have ordered civil servants back to work to set an example, but No10 has failed to provide figures for how many staff are back. Dave Penman, of FDA union, said: “Ministers are increasingly sounding like dinosaurs. Millions of employees are working from home very successfully.
“Employers are recognising that the world of work has changed and are embracing it.”
TUC union’s Frances O’grady said MPS need a credible plan to get people back in the office, rather than a “scare campaign”. She said they must also address the “childcare crisis”.
A British Chamber of Commerce poll in July found that 62% of firms will allow some or all staff to work remotely for the next year.
But with fewer commuters in town and city centres, shops are struggling. The Centre for Retail Research warns job losses could hit 235,704 this year, with 20,600 store closures. Chains like Pret a Manger and John Lewis have cut jobs.
The Independent Sage scientists’ group accused MPS of “threatening” staff into going back to work without adequate safety measures.
POLICE have served prohibition notices used to tackle breaches of coronavirus restrictions on nine pubs in Northern Ireland.
Bars in Coleraine, Co Derry, and Bangor, Co Down, were dealt with by officers in July.
Premises in Moy, Co Tyrone, Banbridge, Co Down, and two in Irvinestown, two in
Rosslea and one in Tempo, all
Co Fermanagh, were served with notices this month.
It is understood, however, that such action does not necessarily mean the premises have to close.
Hospitality NI chief Colin
Neill said: “The majority of pubs are acting responsibly, but if premises are blatantly ignoring guidelines they should feel the full force of the law. We have no qualms supporting the police in this matter.”
He added that adhering to restrictions was not easy for pubs with guidelines being “182 pages long”.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said: “We have been and we will continue to work with licensees across Northern Ireland to ensure our community can socialise in a safe environment.
“Where appropriate, advice and guidance will be provided to ensure the continued safe and peaceful enjoyment of services.”
UNLESS footfall returns, thousands of shops and tens of thousands of jobs will go. Coronavirus, weighing heavily on weekend trips to the shops, is having a devastating effect in the week.
Pens; paper; sandwiches; shirts; shoes: the multitude of purchases we make going to and from work are the lifeblood of many town and city centre economies. The lunchtime takeaway goes uneaten as office blocks remain quiet. This is unsustainable for shops and local economies. People need reassuring that public transport and shops are safe, and they should hear a call to arms to support the economy.
Travel incentives such as scrapping parking or congestion charges for a time, or subsidising rail fares, could help as would extending the business rates holiday. Without action, shops and jobs will go and town and city centres will die as destinations.