Quiz bosses under fire for keeping warehouse open
Worker fears business can’t justify opening as cases soar
BOSSES at a Glasgow clothing firm have been accused of r isking infection among workers by keeping their warehouse open as the coronavirus pandemic reaches new heights.
A worker at the Quiz Clothing distribution centre in Bellshill – who did not wish to be named – raised concerns that staff were continuing to come into the warehouse despite many businesses across the country closing their doors due to strict new lockdown measures introduced by the Scottish Government in the hopes of bringing the number of Covid- 19 cases down to manageable levels.
With a record number of people in hospital with the deadly virus, the source is fearful about his health and his family’s.
He said: “With this new strain of Covid, we are all very worried and scared for our loved ones and kids in case we catch the virus and bring it home to them. Our lives matter too and if the company cared about the employees like they say they do, then they would do the right thing and put people first before profit for once.”
Many workers have been placed on furlough, all staff at the firm’s head office in Hydepark Street, Glasgow, are working from home and the company is operating within the Government’s guidelines which allow for people whose jobs cannot be done from home to come into work.
But the source questioned whether selling “fancy” outfits to “people who can’t even go out” was in keeping with the spirit of the government’s measures to combat the virus.
He added: “Places like this have no compassion, they won’t close unless they are made to.”
Quiz said the wellbeing of its workers has been its “top priority throughout the pandemic”.
A spokeswoman for the firm said: “As per government guidance and similar to many other online retail businesses, Quiz continues to operate its e- commerce business in strict accordance with health authority guidelines.
“The wellbeing of our team members and customers has been our top priority throughout the pandemic.
“We have robust risk assessment and monitoring processes in place, and have previously introduced operating procedures and other measures at the company’s distribution centres to minimise the risk to our employees.
“These include reducing the number of team members in the distribution centre at any one time to ensure strict social distancing, introducing a one- way system in our warehouse, providing sanitiser and PPE to employees and increasing the frequency of sanitisation and cleaning throughout our sites.
“Team members are encouraged to discuss any concerns they may have with management, who will endeavour to accommodate these.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed earlier this week that the Government was considering extra measures to further limit the reasons people had for leaving their homes and potentially spreading the virus.
She told Good Morning Britain on Thursday: “There is a question in my mind about whether we need to go a bit further in restricting non- essential business activities to cut even further the reasons that people have for being outside of their own home and that’s something I will be looking at with my advisers over the next few days.”