Risks: Union health and safety news - Number 1009 - 11 August 2021

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

COVID NEWS

‘Dial down the rhetoric’ on working from home
UCU hits back at education secretary slurs
New union ballot over safety at the DVLA
End the anti-vax abuse of health service staff
Poor conditions in care jobs is the real problem
Tracking exemption for Welsh carers slammed

OTHER NEWS
HS2 protest as union is denied access to workers
Dehydration threat to health of maternity staff
Better jobs key to solving HGV driver crisis
Call for better security after latest rail station assault
‘Bad faith’ from TfL sees ferry talks break down
Morrisons to give staff a Boxing Day break

RESOURCES
Hazards Conference 2021 – online report

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia: Crisis meeting demand over tracing failures
Bangladesh: Factory reopenings put workers at risk
Korea: Foreign workers more likely to die at work
Korea: Safe rates for truck drivers pay off

 

COVID NEWS

 

‘Dial down the rhetoric’ on working from home

Ministers should ‘dial down the rhetoric’ on working from home, the civil service union Prospect has said. The call came after media reports suggested that some ministers proposed considering docking pay or amending terms and conditions in an effort to push more civil servants back to offices. Prospect said its expectation was that post-pandemic more civil servants, like other workers, may want a blend of working from offices and from home, where it is appropriate. Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said: “Our members, many of whom have been going in to work throughout the pandemic, want to learn the lessons of recent months to make sure that a hybrid model of work is successful in the future. We are working with government departments to make this a reality, and to ensure that offices are safe for people to return to, but this is not helped by ministers making threats anonymously about pay or terms and conditions in the media.” He added: “The government has told employers across the country that returning to offices is something that needs to be negotiated with staff, it is time ministers dialled down the rhetoric and started taking their own advice.” Staff at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) were told last week that the requirement for them to be working in Whitehall between four and eight days every month, meant to come into force from September, had been scrapped.
Prospect news release. The Guardian. The Independent. BBC News Online.
 

UCU hits back at education secretary slurs

Lecturers’ union UCU said Gavin Williamson was wrong to criticise university staff who have worked so hard, when his ‘disastrous mismanagement’ had caused chaos across the sector. The union was responding to the education secretary’s criticism of online provision. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Williamson should reflect on his own failings before denigrating the excellent online provision staff have provided. We must never forget that it was government's failure to guarantee financial support for the sector that led to students being lured back to unsafe campuses with the false promise of a normal university experience during a global pandemic, with disastrous consequences.” She warned: “Sadly, the secretary of state has clearly not learnt any lessons and is yet again attacking university staff, peddling damaging and false narratives about the quality of online learning, and recklessly encouraging managers to ignore health and safety concerns to protect university finances. Instead of threatening universities with a fee reduction for putting health and safety first during a pandemic, the government should be investing in higher education so universities aren't reliant on fees.”
UCU news release. The Guardian.
 

New union ballot over safety at the DVLA

Civil service union PCS has launched a consultative ballot over ongoing Covid-19 safety concerns at the DVLA. The electronic ballot aims to gauge the views of members at the Swansea vehicle licensing HQ, which has been hit by hundreds of Covid-19 infections. The ballot will run from 11 August to 3 September and marks what PCS described as ‘an important stage in the dispute with the DVLA’. The union added it will assess progress to date and provide a ‘mandate’ from members about future action. The union said members were being asked about priorities for a deal to end the dispute and whether they would be in support of further strike action and action short of a strike. PCS added it was not a statutory ballot, but was intended to inform subsequent decisions on action. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “DVLA senior management and the Department for Transport have underestimated the resolve of our members. They thought support for our strike would fade when in fact it is growing with new staff joining PCS. This dispute can be resolved if the original deal to end the strike is put back on the table.”
PCS news release. South Wales Argus. BBC News Online.
 

End the anti-vax abuse of health service staff

Leading health organisations have come together to demand an end to the abuse endured by NHS workers during the pandemic. The group – which includes the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), UNISON and the NHS Confederation – has also urged the public to stand with them. The initiative was prompted by abuse and death threats on social media targeting RCM chief executive Gill Walton for encouraging pregnant women to have the Covid-19 vaccine. Gill Walton said: “Over the past 16 months, health and care workers have been working under incredible stress, with increased demands and less staff because of the pandemic, yet still they have strived to provide the best possible care. I know the vast majority of the public are incredibly grateful for that dedication and commitment. However, too many health and care workers have faced abuse from a small but vocal minority, from Covid deniers to anti-vaxxers. Our midwives, doctors, nurses, porters, cleaners, everyone working for the NHS, has the right to safety and respect in the workplace.” UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “It's health workers that have made the vaccination programme such a success. But as they encourage everyone to have their jabs, some have suffered appalling abuse. This must stop.” She added: “The pandemic is real, and the virus can kill. Anti-vaxxers and Covid deniers are entitled to their opinions. But they must be prevented from hounding dedicated NHS staff, who must be protected so they can do their jobs in peace.”
UNISON news release. RCM news release. NHS Confederation news release. Nursing Times.
 

Poor conditions in care jobs is the real problem

Poor pay and conditions in health care is leaving staff and services in a parlous state, the union GMB has indicated. The warning follows reports that care group HC-One is offering registered night nurses a signing bonus of £10,000, with similar bonuses proposed by other firms for had to recruit health and care staff. GMB has opposed regulations forcing vaccinations for workers in care homes, which the government’s own estimates suggest could cause more than 70,000 workers to lose their jobs during a recruitment crisis (Risks 1008). The union says it believes the best way to ensure that the sector can recruit and retain workers is by paying the skilled workforce a decent wage for the job they do – at least £15 per hour. Kelly Andrews, GMB social care lead, said: “Throwing bonuses at people to fix long-term problems within social care, however welcome those one-off payments are for individual workers, is like throwing a deckchair from the top deck of the Titanic. The only way providers and government are going to solve the recruitment crisis in care is by paying the workforce a decent salary of £15 an hour.” She added: “As we head towards the end of the year we are likely to see lots more leave the profession – the UK government estimates it could be up to a further 70,000. To stop this mass exodus we need the workforce to be priority in any investment in the sector and that means in the workforces pay packets.”
GMB news release. More on the hazards of low pay.
 

Tracking exemption for Welsh carers slammed

An announcement by the Welsh government that it plans to exempt ‘pinged’ social care workers from having to self-isolate has been criticised by the union GMB. The move comes as reports circulate that local authorities are struggling to cover calls, with family members being asked to help out instead. Kelly Andrews, GMB social care lead, said: “This is no surprise, but the worst way of handling it. With a career path of low wages, no sick pay and companies like HC-One threatening staff in Wales with the sack if they choose not to be or cannot be vaccinated, it’s no wonder people are walking away from social care.” Se added: “For the past 18 months care staff have been working incredibly hard to protect those that they care for, but again it’s the social care staff that are expected to forgo their own safety to turn up and prevent the sector from collapse. The only way to solve the shortage is to properly recognise the exemplary effort that care staff in Wales make; that’s why GMB is campaigning to pay all care staff £15 an hour and not just living wage.”
GMB news release.

OTHER NEWS
 

HS2 protest as union is denied access to workers

The joint venture company Skanska-Costain-Strabag (SCS) is ‘seriously hindering’ legitimate trade union access to construction workers building the Euston tunnels of the HS2 railway, the union Unite has charged. The consortium was called out by the union ahead of a 6 August demonstration outside the site, with Unite saying SCS was flouting an agreement to allow union officials ‘meaningful’ access to the site. The union said the demonstration marked the start of a long-term campaign to stop the union-busting activities of companies like Skanska and Costain, which it said are ‘renowned for blacklisting union members.’ Unite national officer for construction Jerry Swain said: “These companies loathe Unite as we stand up for our members in all weathers fighting and campaigning for decent pay and employment conditions, as well as the highest possible health and safety standards in the industry. We have already found Costain/Skanska sites on HS2 where workers have been robbed of overtime rates, death and serious injury cover, paid holidays and workers paid through payroll companies - we don’t need to ask what they have to hide because we know.” He added: “These demonstrations will not only continue, with the ensuing reputational damage to the companies involved, but will spread to include other areas where Skanska-Costain-Strabag currently work. We will not stop until union officials are allowed on site.”

Unite news release and Unite in HS2 campaign and petition. Morning Star.
 

Dehydration threat to health of maternity staff

Hot maternity wards and the need for staff to wear more personal protective equipment (PPE) than before the pandemic is seeing many midwifery workers struggle to stay hydrated, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has warned. The midwives’ union is concerned that the health and wellbeing of staff and the quality of the care they provide could be adversely affected as a result. It points to a survey of RCM members in 2020 that showed over half (52 per cent) say they feel dehydrated most or all of the time when at work. Midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) have reported that NHS Trusts and Boards do not allow staff to have fluids with them on units and they are so busy that they cannot take a break to have a drink. Maternity staff across the UK have reported that they often go for 11 or 12 hours on shifts unable to have a drink because of work pressures. The RCM has also been receiving reports of staff having to go off sick with urinary tract infections and the effects of dehydration because they are not getting enough fluids. RCM’s Dr Mary Ross-Davie said: “Some Trusts and Boards have banned water bottles in clinical areas, which means that our members are often going 12 hours with no break and no water. We are appealing to those services to apply common sense, to recognise that this application of infection control is misguided and to look after the health and wellbeing of their staff.”
RCM news release.
 

Better jobs key to solving HGV driver crisis

Government and haulage bosses have been ‘dragging their feet’ over the escalating HGV driver shortages and should sit down with Unite to tackle the underlying causes, Unite has said. The union accused the sector’s employers and government of doing nothing to deal with ‘a brazen lack of respect’ towards drivers as they tried to squeeze ‘the last drop of profit’ from their contracts. Unite national officer for road transport Adrian Jones said: “The current shortage of an estimated 100,000 HGV drivers in the UK has highlighted a number of long-running serious discontents in the industry, from poor pay and conditions to inadequate toilet provision and lack of parking facilities. It is clear that the UK’s HGV drivers have been taken for granted for too long by bosses keen to squeeze the last drop of profit from their contracts – this brazen lack of respect for the workforce is now coming home to roost with mounting calls for industrial action.” The Unite official warned: “Be in no doubt, Unite understands the simmering frustrations and anger. Ministers can no longer allow the current lack of grip over the driver shortages to continue as the UK needs to keep moving food and supplies around the country. Unite remains ready to play its part to solve this crisis; however, key principles for us are that decent pay and conditions are in place, as well as welfare measures for our members when they are on the road, such as better parking facilities and adequate toilet provision. At the end of the day the country will grind to a halt without drivers.”  In separate comments on the UK government’s decision to extend the relaxation of lorry driver working hours rules, Jones said: “Extending the relaxation of minimum lorry driving hours until October is frankly dangerous. The driver shortage, the huge demand and the considerable pressures that are simply part of the job, mean HGV drivers are already exhausted.”
Unite news release and hours extension news release.
 

Call for better security after latest rail station assault

Rail union TSSA is calling for more to be done to protect front line staff after another assault on a member of station staff left him fearing for his life. Just before 1am on 8 August, a worker at Lewisham station in London was pinned against the wall by a member of the public who then threatened to stab him. TSSA says the staff member managed to radio to the control team and it was the voice of the controller on the radio that made the assailant let him go, but he continued to shout threats of violence as he ran off. Although shaken after the assault, the station worker finished his shift. The station team was short staffed that night. The incident was later reported to the British Transport Police (BTP). Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: “This terrifying attack is the latest in far too many recent assaults on front line rail workers. Our members expect and deserve to be safe at work and return home safely after a shift.” Commenting on the latest incident, he said: “There are questions about why so few staff were working at Lewisham station when this incident occurred, why the police weren’t called immediately and what deterrents can be put in place to prevent similar assaults happening in future. BTP [British Transport Police] used to be based at Lewisham but due to cuts are no longer based there – could their presence have prevented this from happening? Far too often, assailants get off with small fines when their actions have life-changing effects on the rail workers they assaulted. We need action to protect rail staff and we need it now.”
TSSA news release.
 

‘Bad faith’ from TfL sees ferry talks break down

Crunch talks to resolve the long-running Woolwich Ferry union rep victimisation dispute broke down this week, with Unite accusing Transport for London (TfL) bosses of ‘bad faith’. The union, which represents 57 ferry workers, had suspended industrial action as a goodwill gesture in the run-up to the talks, but the action recommenced after the latest setback. Unite said the dispute centred on the victimisation of the two of its union reps, issues over pay and the use of agency staff “and the failure to provide adequate health and safety training to new employees.” It said these issues had arisen since TfL took back control of the service from Briggs Marine Contractors Ltd in January this year. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “Since the strike action began, there have been two incidents which have shown the value of our members. Firstly, a member of the public was rescued from the river when a ferry worker took the initiative to take a boat out and save this person from drowning. In the second, it was a Unite representative who identified a ‘missing person’ who was on one of the boats – this is the same Unite representative who has been disciplined for doing no more than carrying out his legitimate trade union duties.” He said TfL should “start taking negotiations seriously. For our part, we are still ready to talk – but equally, we are resolute and determined to win fairness, dignity and respect. Strikes into the autumn are very much on the cards.”
Unite news release.
 

Morrisons to give staff a Boxing Day break

Retail union Usdaw has welcomed the announcement that Morrisons will close their supermarkets on Boxing Day to say thank you to their staff. A spokesperson for the supermarket chain said: “Everyone at Morrisons has worked incredibly hard over the last 18 months as we've responded to the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, serving our customers and local communities. So this year we're taking the exceptional step of closing all our supermarkets on Boxing Day, so as many colleagues as possible can enjoy a two day weekend break with family and friends.” Usdaw national officer Joanne McGuiness said: “The last year-and-a-half has been unlike any other. The pandemic meant shopworkers stepped up and kept essential services running. We welcome Morrisons doing the right thing by their staff with the closure of supermarkets on Boxing Day.” She added: “Key workers have done so much this year and we are asking retailers to give their staff the longest possible break over the festive season to provide them with a well-deserved breather. We don’t think this is too much to ask for.”
Usdaw news release. Evening Standard. BBC News Online. Sky News.
 

RESOURCES

 

Hazards Conference 2021 – online report

A report of the national Hazards Conference, including recordings, presentations and documentation, is now available online. Contributors to the event included general secretaries Sharan Burrow of the global trade union confederation ITUC, Richard Wagstaff of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Shavanah Taj of Wales TUC. Other speakers included TUC national safety officer Shelly Asquith and Labour’s shadow employment secretary Andy McDonald MP.
National Hazards Conference 2021 – recordings, presentations and documents.
 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

 

Australia: Crisis meeting demand over tracing failures

An Australian union is calling on the New South Wales provincial government to convene an immediate crisis meeting with unions, employer representatives and the safety regulator Safework NSW, to address ‘the growing Covid-19 crisis in workplaces.’ In a letter to the administration, the United Workers Union last week raised a series of proposals to prevent the increase in transmission taking place in distribution centres across Sydney. The union said further ‘horror stories of contact tracing failures’ have since emerged, with workers at exposure sites being told by NSW Health that they have no knowledge of them being a close contact. United Workers Union national secretary Tim Kennedy said: “It has become clear in Sydney that numbers are staying stubbornly high because people are going to work while infectious, which fundamentally makes this an issue of workplace safety.” He added: “In previous instances of high community spread, unions have worked with government authorities to help curb transmission. Workers in organised workplaces have played a key role in limiting the spread of the virus.” The union leader concluded: “We know vaccination is the way out of the pandemic but there are some more immediate measures that can be implemented to help control the spread, such as onsite testing at critical workplaces, an onsite strategy for the vaccination rollout and mandating paid pandemic leave so workers are not choosing between going to work or feeding their family.”
UWU news release.
 

Bangladesh: Factory reopenings put workers at risk

On 1 August, Bangladeshi garment export factories were allowed by the government to resume operations with just two days’ notice, despite the strict lockdown imposed across the country. Global union IndustriALL said the lack of notice left workers returning to work after the Eid holidays facing an unacceptable Covid infection risk. Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, said: “It is not acceptable that garment workers are forced to take such risks in order to meet business targets. Opening factories during the lockdown and asking workers to report for work when all transport was suspended is inhumane.” She added: “The government of Bangladesh and employers should ensure that workers don’t face wage losses if they haven’t been able to report for work in the middle of the pandemic. Factories should continue to follow all preventive and protective measures.” She said: “Global brands should ensure that their suppliers do not undermine workers right to occupational health and safety and workers should not be forced to work in unsafe working conditions.”
IndustriALL news release.
 

Korea: Foreign workers more likely to die at work

Foreign workers are three times as likely to be killed in South Korea’s workplaces as Korean nationals, official figures have indicated. Data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor submitted to Rep. Kang Eun-mi of the Justice Party showed that one in eight ― or 12 per cent ― of the victims of work fatalities over the past 18 months were workers of foreign nationality. A total of 1,113 workers died between January 2020 and June this year, 135 of whom were foreign national workers. Foreign workers make up only 4 per cent of the 24 million salaried employee positions in the country, suggesting their risk of death at work is three times that for Korean nationals. “As migrant workers often take jobs shunned by Koreans, such as in agriculture, fisheries and the so-called 3D (dirty, difficult, dangerous) sectors, they are exposed to a higher risk of industrial or workplace disasters,” Rep. Kang said, stressing the need to increase preventive measures to ensure workplace safety. Sul Dong-hoon, a professor of sociology at Chonbuk University, told The Korea Times that workplace discrimination may be one of the reasons for the high fatality rate among people of foreign nationality working in Korea. “In some cases, crucial safety equipment, such as gas masks and helmets, is provided only to Korean nationals. Employers should adhere fully to safety measures and recognise that the lives and safety of their workers are the top priority ― irrespective of the nationality of the workers.” Kim Dal-sung, head of the Pocheon Migrant Welfare Centre, urged the Korean government to “make sure that every victim of workplace accidents receives proper treatment in time, while guaranteeing foreign national workers a fully safe environment.”
Korea Times.

Korea: Safe rates for truck drivers pay off

A ‘safe rates’ pay system for truck drivers in operation in South Korea since January 2020 is working, new research has confirmed. Safe rates systems, which have been promoted by the sector’s global union ITF, set legal standards for fair pay and working conditions in road transport (Risks 1008). They make companies at the top of contracting chains responsible for ensuring the standards are met. The Korean Safe Rates system applies to owner operator truck drivers in the container and cement transport sectors. The research into the Korean system was based on two driver surveys, conducted before and after it came into effect. It found truck driver pay increased on average by 3.6 per cent, while the number of drivers who experienced drowsiness while driving decreased by 29 per cent. The number truck drivers speeding reduced by a third (33.6 per cent), and overloading their vehicles by nearly 40 per cent. The report concludes that the safe rates should be made permanent in Korea and extended to other sectors. “Drivers reported a decrease in cost-cutting pressures,” said Noel Coard, the ITF’s inland transport secretary. “Fatigue, speeding and overloading, the main factors in lorry crashes, all improved. The research confirms that safe rates works in Korea. And if it works there, it should be put in place all around the world.”
ITF news release. Analysis of the Early Impact of the Korean Safe Rates System and Proposals for Sustainable Implementation, Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union Cargo Truckers’ Solidarity Division (KPTU-TruckSol) and the Korean Safe Rates Research Group (KSRRG), 2021. ITF safe rates webpages.

 

PUBLICATION

 

TUC Hazards at Work 6th Edition

Stock Code: HS111
Price £22 RRP £52
Also now available as an eBook
This is the Sixth edition of the TUC's best-selling guide to health and safety at work.
Used by reps, officers, employers, professionals in the field and even enforcement officers. This incredibly popular book is now even more informative at over 400 pages, an invaluable resource, which incorporates common hazards and cause of ill health at work, and how to assess and prevent them.
The book also contains HSE and other guidance, extensive checklists, case studies and web resources.
Order your copy
 
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Those on TUC approved courses can receive discount, please call for details 0207 467 1294. Or email at; publications@tuc.org.uk
 

TUC COURSES FOR SAFETY REPS

Courses for 2021

Find the latest courses at www.tuceducation.org.uk/findacourse/