Labour says the Government urgently needs to strengthen workplace
safety rules following a BBC investigation revealing more than 60
suspected Covid-19 outbreaks in offices were recorded in the first
two weeks of the current lockdown.
Labour is calling on the Government to urgently:
- Clarify the stay-at-home message
- Rewrite outdated workplace safety rules – in response to new,
more transmissible virus strains and the science about the
importance of ventilation
- Strengthen health and safety enforcement – after a decade of
cuts has left agencies under-resourced
- Improve economic support – to support businesses through
closures, address the gaps in support for the self-employed,
ensure financial support allows workers to self-isolate, and
address the inadequacy of Statutory Sick Pay
, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Employment Rights
and Protections, said:
“Labour and the trade unions have repeatedly warned that the
Government is neglecting workplace protections. Weak and outdated
workplace safety rules and a lack of enforcement are putting
workers and the general public at risk. Rules on safe workplaces
haven’t been updated for the new virus strains or scientific
knowledge about how the virus is spread.
“To help prevent the spread of the virus, the Government must
clarify the stay at home message, rewrite outdated workplace
safety rules and strengthen health and safety enforcement.”
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