{"id":20296,"date":"2020-03-26T16:45:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T16:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=20296"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:44:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:44:28","slug":"20296-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=20296","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus news round-up"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the coronavirus epidemic intensifies, Unite continues to fight for its members both on the wider political stage and in individual workplaces across the UK and Ireland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Thursday (March 26) commenting in response to chancellor Rishi Sunak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s announcement of\u00c2\u00a0incomes assistance for self-employed workers\u00c2\u00a0during the Covid-19 pandemic, McCluskey said that while details of the scheme have yet to be forthcoming,\u00c2\u00a0the programme must\u00c2\u00a0be simple, straightforward and speedy to avert a collapse in the household incomes of millions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

McCluskey said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are pleased to note the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s intention to give the self-employed the same economic security during these worrying times as the directly employed.\u00c2\u00a0We look forward to seeing the details so that we can examine this in terms of our self-employed\u00c2\u00a0members, from cabbies to carers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut by far the most effective way to give many of\u00c2\u00a0these workers the economic security that they need is to end the abusive status that is bogus self-employment.\u00c2\u00a0Ministers can do that at the stroke of a pen, declaring these workers employees and so bringing them into the furlough scheme; where they can access up to\u00c2\u00a080 per cent of their incomes.\u00c2\u00a0The government could do this easily, by statutory instrument possibly, and I am sure would attract cross-party support for doing so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ahead Sunak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anticipated announcement, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey called on the government to change the status of self-employed and precarious workers to employees so that they can immediately benefit from the chancellor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wage protection scheme. You can read our full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

McCluskey also warned that Unite will relentlessly pursue employers who are not doing right by their workers in a time of national crisis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI am saying today to employers that if you dismiss Unite members that you could have retained or you send them home on poverty sick pay when there are provisions for them to be paid at 80 per cent of their salary at no cost to you, Unite will pursue you using every legal channel available to us,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite Wales regional secretary Peter Hughes today reiterated this warning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur message to employers across Wales, large and small, is to do everything that you can to maintain jobs and keep your workforce and the wider public safe,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTo use the current uncertainty to shed jobs in search of increased profits would be an act of national betrayal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe UK and Welsh Governments have put the biggest financial support package in history to get business through this national crisis,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAll employers should take advantage of this support and aim to come through the other side with their workforces intact and ready to get back to work.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Win for parking charges<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unite\u00c2\u00a0celebrated\u00c2\u00a0a major victory for the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s campaigning, after the government agreed to waive parking charges for health and social care staff across the UK.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI will do everything I can to ensure our dedicated staff have whatever they need during this unprecedented time.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After Unite and other unions continuously pressed the government on the issue this week, the government pledged to provide NHS trusts with the money so they can offer free parking to its staff in hospitals, while they also promised to make sure health staff, social care workers and volunteers can provide evidence to display in their cars to avoid any charges.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite national officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe hailed the news.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe welcome that the government have listened to what we and others have be saying on staff car parking for NHS staff in England,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow our task is to make sure employers honour this pledge without delay.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey also welcomed the news.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSuch good news,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he tweeted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWell done to @unitetheunion @UniteinHealth members who led the way on this. Fantastic victory for our union. We’re working so hard for our members during this pandemic and this is one more step forward.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Student nurses<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

More good news in the health sector \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Unite and other health unions have reached agreement with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and Chief Nursing Officers across the UK to enable nursing students to help NHS colleagues deal with the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19 by taking on a paid clinical placement as they finish their studies if they so choose.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The agreement means that choice will be paramount \u00e2\u20ac\u201c no student nurse will be pressured into taking on a clinical placement. Student nurses can also be assured that they will not lose out financially, that their education and career will be valued, and that their safety will be a number one priority.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In a joint union statement, the health unions told student nurses, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bYour unions stand behind you because we value your contribution to the NHS. We are there for you and will offer you support and guidance every step of the way.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Stop terrifying workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As Unite general secretary Len McCluskey on Thursday (March 26) said the union would leave no stone unturned in going after employers not doing right by their workers, Unite has directly made that call in a number of workplaces.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faurecia Interiors, an automotive supply chain firm, was told to stop terrifying laid-off workers by refusing to inform them whether they will be registered under the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scheme to pay workers 80 per cent of their wages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The firm sent a ‘heartless’ letter to staff laying them off until April 20 that makes no mention of the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s furlough scheme.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite, which represents a substantial amount of the workforce at Faurecia, has obtained a copy of the letter that tells staff that during the lockdown they can either take unpaid leave, any remaining annual holiday or be paid in advance using banked hours.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nowhere in the letter does it mention that the company will be registering laid off staff with the government so that 80 per cent of their wages can be claimed while the spread of coronavirus is stopped.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The union said that Faurecia workers are now deeply worried that they will be left in debt and struggling to cope.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe letter sent to Faurecia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s staff about their choices during the coronavirus layoff is heartless,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite regional officer Melvyn Palmer. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt makes no mention of whether the firm will be registering its staff under the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scheme to pay 80 per cent of wages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMany staff are terrified that their only choice will be to struggle through the lockdown without money coming in or to rely on banked hours that will leave them in debt once work resumes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Other companies across the automotive sector are making clear that their staff will be registered under the government furlough scheme and working with Unite to ensure that message is heard loud and clear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFaurecia, however, have completely disregarded their workforce\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s concerns and are refusing to answer Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s repeated enquires on the issue. This is no way to treat people during a national emergency. Faurecia must register their workers under the furlough scheme as soon as possible and make it immediately clear to their workforce that they are doing so.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sports Direct<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unite has called on controversial Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley to send home the Shirebrook workforce and pay them for the duration of the coronavirus virus period.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite has written today to the Sports District management outlining a catalogue of examples where the company has ignored the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guidelines for work places during the national emergency.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are an estimated 3,000-4,000 workers at the Derbyshire warehouse, a key component in Mike Ashley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s retail empire. Earlier this week, Sports Direct had to back down over plans to keep its high street shops open, following a public backlash.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In her letter, Unite regional officer Cheryl Pidgeon said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have reports of workers being threatened with no jobs if they self-isolate when they have underlying health concerns.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have reports of people being told not to bother about just having two people in the car when they drive to work\u00e2\u20ac\u201c but to come in \u00e2\u20ac\u0098in fives\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have photographic evidence of lack of products available for workers to wash as per government guidelines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have reports of workers not staying two metres apart and photographic evidence of this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople are today still using scanners with their fingers and being searched closely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe products that many people are working on are not critical to the nation at this moment in time – we have photographic evidence of this also. There are many, many scared workers at the warehouse.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese are decent human beings who have served Sports Direct loyally in difficult conditions on low wages and many are on non-permanent contracts. They are not fodder to make mass profit at the expense of their own health and safety, and that of their family. The work at the warehouse is not critical as per government guidelines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor the sake of the employees, the local community and the business reputation please allow workers to go home, stay safe and pay them their usual wages without loss of money.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite regional secretary for the East Midlands Paresh Patel said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen the history of the coronavirus comes to be written, Mike Ashley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already besmirched reputation will be in shreds, unless he does the right thing and send his Shirebrook workers home on full pay for the duration of the coronavirus emergency.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAshley has become fabulously rich on the backs of low-paid workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c now is the time that he should rise above the ruthless pursuit of profit that has pockmarked his controversial career \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the nation is watching.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the coronavirus epidemic intensifies, Unite continues to fight for its members both on the wider political stage and in individual workplaces across the UK and Ireland.   On Thursday (March 26) commenting in response to chancellor Rishi Sunak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s announcement of\u00c2\u00a0incomes assistance for self-employed workers\u00c2\u00a0during the Covid-19 pandemic, McCluskey said that while details of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1308,1],"tags":[1295],"wps_subtitle":"Latest Unite news on the coronavirus epidemic as the union continues fighting for its members","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20296"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20296"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24616,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20296\/revisions\/24616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}