Some of Britain’s biggest unions will not support the government’s latest back-to-work plans, as outlined in Boris Johnson’s speech on 10 May, until ministers can guarantee the safety of workers. Tara Pilkington reports.
The general secretaries of Unison, Unite, GMB and Usdaw, along with the TUC, have warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson that they will not be recommending their members to return to work unless the workplaces can guarantee the correct policies and practises to ensure the safety of both the workplace and staff.
In a joint letter to the Observer on Saturday, Unison’s Dave Prentis, Len McCluskey of Unite, acting GMB leader TUC John Phillips, Usdaw’s Paddy Lillis and TUC head Frances O’Grady have all pointed out that many of their members have died from the coronavirus while continuing to keep the country running.
To prevent more deaths from COVID-19, they are calling on the government to impose sanctions on businesses and bosses who fail to create and sustain safe working conditions for their employees.
The union leaders wrote: “One bad employer who plays fast and loose with safety not only puts those workers and their families in danger, they put public transport workers and whole communities at risk of infection too”.
They also called for every employer to carry out thorough risk assessments and inform staff of the measures they have taken to make workplaces safe before workers agree to return to work.
Recent polls have suggested suggest that anxiety about returning to work is extremely high, making it incredibly important that employers carry out the necessary risk assessments, and that workers know their rights when returning to different working conditions.
