Risks: Union health and safety news - Number 1041 - 21 April 2022

Risks is the TUC's weekly newsletter for safety reps and others, sponsored by Thompsons Solicitors.

COVID NEWS

‘Ludicrous’ Rees-Mogg wants civil servants in the office
Tory MP must apologise to health staff
Business group’s plea for Covid tests to keep staff safe
NEU warns of school mental health crisis
Hybrid teaching harming teachers
Wellbeing must be at the heart of education recovery

OTHER NEWS
TUC action call on unsafe P&O’s services
Avanti boss urged to withdraw see through uniforms
Injured sushi maker 'sent to hospital in taxi'
Cardiff council bullying prompts strike vote
Teacher awarded £850,000 for pupil attack trauma
Company boss convicted of roofer’s manslaughter
Safety professionals back fundamental safety

EVENTS
International Workers’ Memorial Day is next week!

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Global: New paper spotlights core ILO safety rules
Bangladesh: Investigate journalist shot dead
USA: Amazon ‘injury machine’ twice as dangerous as rivals
 

COVID NEWS

 

‘Ludicrous’ Rees-Mogg wants civil servants in the office

Civil servants must stop working from home and return to the office to ensure government buildings are at full capacity, Cabinet Office minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has said. In a letter to cabinet colleagues, including a league table of all 16 Whitehall departments’ office occupancy, the efficiencies minister urges them to send a “clear message” to the civil service about returning. Unions reacted angrily to the move. Dave Penman, the general secretary of the senior civil servants’ union FDA, said the proposal was ‘ludicrous’, adding: “Ministers should be concentrating on what’s being delivered, not numbers at desks.” PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka, said the call by Rees-Mogg was “deeply insulting” and seeks to “denigrate and offend” its members.
PCS news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian and update.
 

Tory MP must apologise to health staff

A Conservative MP who suggested health staff regularly broke Covid rules should retract his comments and apologise, UNISON has said. The union call came after Michael Fabricant repeated on social media remarks, he had made in an earlier attempt to defend lockdown lawbreaking by the prime minister Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak, which saw both fined by the Metropolitan Police. In a letter to the MP for Lichfield, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton admonished the MP, noting: “For you to imply that they regularly overlooked public health restrictions, in an attempt to defend the prime minister and the chancellor, is insulting and has caused deep hurt.” The letter draws attention to the extreme lengths staff took to protect health and follow the law, while the country’s top politicians partied.
UNISON news release. Lichfield Live. The Independent. Sky News. BBC News Online. The National.
 

Business group’s plea for Covid tests to keep staff safe

The recent spike in Covid cases has caused havoc, with staff sickness impacting entire supply chains, a business group has said. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is calling for all companies to be given free or cheap lateral flow tests. Official data shows that the Omicron peak for factory floor workers was in January, but for office-based staff it has come in more recent weeks. Jane Gratton of the BCC said Covid, paired with rising costs, meant this was a “precarious time” for business. The organisation added that threequarters of its members had at least one person off sick in the last four weeks.
BBC News Online.
 

NEU warns of school mental health crisis

A State of Education survey by the teaching union NEU has identified critical mental health challenges in schools. The survey of 1,788 NEU members found 90 per cent of teachers in English state schools believe pupils’ poor mental health has become more prevalent in their school, compared to before the pandemic. NEU joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: “Schools, staff, parents and pupils are crying out for help as we face a mental health challenge on a scale our education system has never experienced.” She added: “Nothing is normal in schools now. Pupils in every year group are finding it difficult to make the adjustment back to school life. Many are highly anxious, and some find it extremely difficult to re-enter school society. This is a challenge which teachers, support staff and leaders are up to, but government is not.”
NEU news release.
 

Hybrid teaching harming teachers

The extra time, energy and workload required to deliver hybrid teaching is having a detrimental effect on the health, safety and welfare of teachers. Delegates to the annual conference of the teaching union NASUWT said while technology has played a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic when pupils were learning from home, the additional expectations placed on teaching staff to provide remote learning in addition to classroom teaching is resulting in unsustainable and damaging workload demands. The delegates called for technology to be used in ways consistent with high-quality working conditions and educational provision, which does not increase workload, and which supports teachers’ wellbeing and mental health.
NASUWT news release.
 

Wellbeing must be at the heart of education recovery

The wellbeing of pupils and teachers cannot be written off as collateral damage from the pandemic but must be put at the heart of our schools’ agenda, delegates to the annual conference of the teaching union NASUWT have said. More than nine out of every ten teachers (91 per cent) who responded to an NASUWT survey reported their job has adversely affected their mental health. The rapid dependence on remote learning, compounding already high workloads, was a leading contributor to adverse mental health for 72 per cent of teachers surveyed. Schools are failing to promote workplace wellbeing for their staff, the survey found, with 78 per cent of teachers saying they feel inadequately supported.
NASUWT news release and related news release. 
 

OTHER NEWS

 

TUC action call on unsafe P&O’s services

The UK government should take over the running of P&O Ferries’ passenger and freight services “as a last resort”, the TUC has said.  Reiterating earlier calls, the union body said ministers must step in to run services if a ‘fit and proper’ operator cannot be found quickly to replace P&O. The call came after P&O ferries flunked safety inspections by the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA). The Pride of Kent and the Spirit of Britain, which normally serves the Dover to Calais route, were both detained ahead of the busy bank holiday weekend. As a result of several failed safety inspections since the unlawful sacking of 800 workers, the TUC says there are “significant concerns” about P&O’s ability to operate safely - especially given the loss of so many highly trained and qualified staff.
TUC news release. Nautilus news release. RMT news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian.
 

Avanti boss urged to withdraw see through uniforms

Transport and travel union TSSA has called on Avanti West Coast to abandon see through uniforms after an outcry from women members and union reps. TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes has written to the rail company telling it to ditch the blouses, which women staff members have described as “disgraceful” and “appalling.” In his letter to Avanti managing director Phil Whittingham, Cortes stated “women members of our union have said they are appalled and feel exposed by the blouses which show their bras from both the back and the front. This is disgraceful treatment of the workforce.” Avanti held no consultation with TSSA about the uniforms, the union said, adding the see-through blouses would make women targets of sexual harassment, especially late at night.
TSSA news release and earlier news release.
 

Injured sushi maker 'sent to hospital in taxi'

A sushi maker who sliced off the tips of two fingers was sent to A&E in a taxi, his union GMB has said. The incident happened in January at the Taiko Foods factory in Acton – a major supplier to supermarkets including Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. Viraj Kakadia was operating an unsafe and dangerous vegetable cutting machine that had stopped working during use. The worker, who was wearing insufficient protective equipment due to lack of availability, attempted to restart the machine and in doing so lost the tips of two fingers. The machine was reportedly missing a safety guard and sensor. Hiten Vaidya, GMB’s London region organiser, said: “Viraj was not given sick pay during the two weeks he had to take off work but was told to take it as holiday.” He added: “GMB will tackle the concerns that we have been alerted to by our members at Taiko who must be assured that their safety at work is a priority at all times.”
GMB news release.
 

Cardiff council bullying prompts strike vote

A ‘bullying culture’ at Cardiff City Council Waste Services has resulted in a near unanimous vote in favour of strike action. The industrial action ballot saw Unite members in the council’s waste services vote by a majority of 98 per cent to strike, with six weeks of continuous action scheduled to commence from 22 April. A survey of Unite members working within waste services at the council found over 60 per cent of workers have either witnessed workplace bullying or been bullied themselves. Unite said related problems raised by the union with the council include health and safety failings, misuse of agency labour and unfair targeting of Unite union reps. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members are completely united and determined to win this fight for justice and they will receive the full support of Unite during the strike.”
Unite news release.
 

Teacher awarded £850,000 for pupil attack trauma

A London academy teacher has been awarded £850,000 in compensation after being punched in the face and kicked during a science lesson by a pupil with a history of violence towards other children and teachers. The attack at the unidentified school was so severe it left the teacher with severe psychological trauma that resulted in him being sectioned twice under the Mental Health Act for his own safety, his union NASUWT said. Medical experts say he is unlikely to work as a teacher again. Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said payouts cannot compensate “for the emotional, physical and mental distress” experienced by teachers as a result of incidents like this.
The Guardian and related NASUWT news release.
 

Company boss convicted of roofer’s manslaughter

A jury has convicted the bosses of two construction companies of safety crimes after the death of a roofer in Hove. Graham Tester, 60, died on 27 July 2018 after a two storey fall from an unsafe ladder while working on the conversion of the Lansdowne Place Hotel into flats. Sussex Police said Steven Wenham, 48, and John Nicholas Spiller, 52, were found guilty at Brighton Crown Court following a lengthy investigation supported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Wenham was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence. Both he and his company, Total Contractors Ltd, were also found guilty of criminal safety offences. Spiller was found not guilty of manslaughter but convicted of a criminal safety breach. His roofing company, Southern Asphalt Ltd, had already pleaded guilty to the same offence. Both men were released on bail, awaiting sentence on 7 June.
Sussex Police news release. Brighton and Hove News.
 

Safety professionals back fundamental safety

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the world’s largest organisation of safety professionals, has thrown its weight behind the global union campaign for occupational health and safety to be recognised as a fundamental right at work. Commenting ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April, organised by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), IOSH highlighted the global union body’s call to make occupational safety and health (OSH) at work an International Labour Organisation (ILO) fundamental principle and right at work. IOSH’s head of health and safety Ruth Wilkinson said: “At a time when the ongoing universal post Covid-19 recovery effort has highlighted the importance of strengthening the coherence between human rights and OSH standards, IOSH advocates for worker health and safety to be recognised as a fundamental human right.”
IOSH news release and video promoting OHS as an ILO fundamental right at work.
 

EVENTS

 

International Workers’ Memorial Day is next week!

With just one week to go until International Workers’ Memorial Day on Thursday 28 April, record numbers of unions and safety activists are preparing to mark the world’s biggest safety event ever. It comes as the union movement globally is on the verge of winning recognition of occupational health and safety as an International Labour Organisation (ILO) fundamental right at work. This designation would require recognition worldwide of common sense rules requiring countries and companies to address the carnage at work that claims 3 million lives each year. It just needs one final push – so, make sure you press home the union message that dying to work must end now.
TUC 28 April resources and events webpages. Get your 28 April event on the TUC map!
STUC listing of 28 April events in Scotland.
Check out the damning new analysis from Hazards of soaring work-related ill-health and collapsing enforcement in the UK.
Global union ITUC has published a package of ready-to-use Twitter and Facebook images and infographic resources for 28 April – available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. Find out what is happening worldwide.
 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

 

Global: New paper spotlights core ILO safety rules

As part of a major push to persuade the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to finally recognise occupational health and safety as a top priority ‘fundamental’ right at work, global construction union BWI has released a detailed position paper. The global union’s paper calls for the ILO’s June conference to finally recognise as fundamental the core safety rights at work, defined in the ILO Convention 155, backed up by the right to occupational health services required by ILO’s Convention 161. BWI said that with occupational health and safety declared as a fundamental right, countless workers’ lives could be saved, and it will prevent untold suffering from many work-related ill-health.
BWI news release including link to the full paper.
 

Bangladesh: Investigate journalist shot dead

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the killing of a journalist in Bangladesh and is urging the authorities to investigate the murder and to punish those responsible. The global union said on 13 April Mohiuddin Sarkar Nayem was shot dead, allegedly by drug dealers, in Cumilla city near the border with India. According to local journalists the 28-year-old, a reporter for the local Dainik Cumillar Dak newspaper who was investigating the drug trade, was shot by two men at 9:30 pm. IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “The IFJ expresses condolences to the family of the murdered journalist Mohiuddin Sarkar Nayem and urges the Bangladesh authorities investigate this crime and find the culprits. This crime cannot go unpunished.”
IFJ news release.
 

USA: Amazon ‘injury machine’ twice as dangerous as rivals

A sharp rise in injuries among Amazon’s warehouse workers in the last year has come as the e-commerce giant's profits have soared. A new report, ‘The Injury Machine: How Amazon's Production System Hurts Workers’, reveals a 20 per cent rise in serious injuries in a year, and an overall rate now twice that of Amazon’s rivals. The report, produced by the four-union coalition the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), notes: “While shareholders and executives reaped the benefits of the company's soaring stock price, Amazon's aggressive growth has come at a high cost for its workers.” The document adds: “Amazon's high-pressure operations keep resulting in worker injuries in unprecedented numbers, and the situation is worsening.”
The Injury Machine: How Amazon's Production System Hurts Workers, Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), 2022. SOC news release. Common Dreams. CNBC News. Seattle Times.


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TUC COURSES FOR SAFETY REPS

 

Courses for 2022

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