Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, , and Labour’s Shadow Employment
Rights Secretary, , have tonight written to the
Business Secretary to raise concerns about the Government asking
workers who can’t work at home, including those in manufacturing
and construction, to go back to work tomorrow morning ahead of
official safety guidance being published.
Urging the Business Secretary to put in place a number of
measures to protect workers, they write: “Ordering a return to
work with 12 hours notice and no official guidance on how workers
can keep safe is irresponsible and wrong.“
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Note to editors:
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Full text of the letter reads:
10 May 2020
Dear Alok,
We write following the PM’s announcement tonight.
We stand ready as ever to work with the Government to
deliver the confidence and trust that is needed. Regrettably,
tonight’s statement offered neither.
We are deeply concerned about the decision to ask workers
who can’t work at home, including those in manufacturing and
construction, to go back to work tomorrow morning when no
official guidance has been published about the rules to guarantee
safety. Every worker deserves to work without fear. Without clear
rules in place for workplaces, this cannot happen. Ordering a
return to work with 12 hours notice and no official guidance on
how workers can keep safe is irresponsible and wrong.
The Government talks of new guidance for employers to make
workplaces safe. Why has that guidance not been published ahead
of the instruction for people to return to tomorrow?
The Prime Minister said tonight he wanted workers to avoid
public transport and use cars, bicycles or walk to work but did
not explain how. What if none of those are viable options?
To get the economy moving safely, we must proceed in an
orderly way, working with businesses and trades unions to put in
place the measures necessary to protect workers.
As previously advised we strongly urge you to ensure that
any such guidelines specifically address, amongst other
things:
· safe
social distancing in the workplace,
· the
extra emphasis needed around the full provision of hand washing
facilities and the provision of appropriate PPE commensurate with
the current risks,
· Mandatory
specific Covid19 risk assessments for businesses with more than 5
employees, published and registered with the Health and Safety
Executive or Local Authority,
· given
the lack of capacity for inspections, consultation with workplace
trade union Health and Safety Representatives in the settling of
assessments, as well as their implementation and
enforcement,
· that
trade union health and safety representatives, in discussion with
employers, be able to assist in non-unionised supply chain
companies,
· and
finally, that employees will not be prejudiced in any way for
drawing attention to safety failings in the workplace.
