Louise Haigh
‘In construction sites, call centres and other non-essential businesses, it has been pretty much business as usual.’
THE GOVERNMENT’S strategy should be clear: keep people at home, end any socialising, and save lives. Profound restrictions have been implemented over the past two weeks, which none of us have seen before and which have fundamentally altered our daily lives.
But as throughout this crisis, the Government is in danger of being too slow to recognise the fundamental flaws in their strategy and too slow to act to put them right.
The furore and condemnation attracted by a tiny number of people, many undoubtedly living in cramped flats without a garden, for visiting the park was a staggering distraction from the real risk to public health.
Today, as the death rate reaches a chilling high, tens of thousands of nonessential workplaces remain open and over the last 10 days in warehouses, construction sites, call centres and other non-essential businesses, it has been pretty much business as usual.
This has created real and understandable fear among so many individuals who have contacted me, too afraid to speak out in their workplace, but desperate to protect the health of them and their family. It is those at the sharpend of the economy – all those that can’t work at home – in low-paid, insecure work who we are asking to risk their health for the good of the economy.
Of course all the decisions that have to be made are a delicate balance of managing economic shock and public health.
But the mixed bag that the Government has ended up with has resulted in on the one-hand telling lowpaid workers in warehouses across South Yorkshire and in call-centres nationwide to pack clothes and sell earphones alongside thousands of colleagues – whilst on the other telling them it is too dangerous to see their boyfriend or girlfriend at the weekend.
Many – an unprecedented number in fact – have contacted me to tell me that it is simply impossible to follow public health guidance at work.
Shockingly, when the Government were told their safety advice for construction sites, keeping two metres apart, would have meant many closing nationwide, they withdrew the advice altogether. This approach is needlessly risking the health of employees and these contradictions are undermining public consent and support for the Government’s strategy.
We cannot wait for employers to do the right thing, because without Government guidance and instruction, too many are putting the bottom-line first.
This is the picture for many workers in an at-risk categories at nationwide brands, suffering with asthma, heart disease and other conditions that put them at increased risk of severe disease from Covid-19.
They are being faced with a choice: of course they can stay away from the workplace and protect their health, but it will need to be unpaid, use up their holiday or take statutory sick pay costing them hundreds of pounds a week.
The Government meekly suggest these workers should follow guidance, but frankly they are being forced to choose between their own well-being or their income; between the health of them and their family or putting food on the table. This, it shouldn’t have to be spelt out to employers or the Government, is no choice at all.
I am glad that after significant pressure Sainsbury’s agreed to let their at-risk workers stay at home and stay safe on full pay. In businesses that are essential, like this one, there shouldn’t be a single at-risk worker in work and they should be paid to stay at home.
Asda, B&Q and Tesco have all gone further and sent all their workers home who fall into any of the at-risk categories whilst Morrisons is providing heroic support for local food banks.
But these are the exceptions not the rule. Relying on the goodwill of employers, not on clear public health guidance, is not a strategy that can continue.
Spending the weekend shaming families in parks may make people feel better, but the real battle for public health is taking place right now in unsafe workplaces up and down the country. If we do not act, it is a decision we will come to bitterly regret. It’s time the Government stepped in – the experiment of the last two weeks which has kept many non-essential workplaces open and operational has failed and has caused real fear for so many.