{"id":21081,"date":"2020-04-28T11:52:48","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T10:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=21081"},"modified":"2020-04-28T11:52:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T10:52:48","slug":"test-workers-or-risk-virus-spreading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=21081","title":{"rendered":"Test workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or risk virus spreading"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Construction workers must be included in the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s targeted Covid-19 testing of key workers in order to help halt the disease\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spread, Unite said today (April 28).<\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail has written to\u00c2\u00a0secretary of state for health and social care Matt Hancock calling for construction workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c many of whom have worked through the lockdown or are being brought out of furlough early \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to be offered testing for Covid-19.<\/p>\n

Cartmail believes including construction workers in the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s testing regime is\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u015bone of a number of measures necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, particularly in light of\u00c2\u00a0newly relaxed social distancing guidance for building sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMany construction workers\u00c2\u00a0continued to work through the lockdown and furloughed workers are being phased back ahead of other sectors,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she reports.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe recently relaxed guidance\u00c2\u00a0from the Construction Leadership Council (CLC)\u00c2\u00a0on social distancing while at work\u00c2\u00a0is undermining efforts to get agreement on safe working practices.<\/p>\n

Guidance\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOperating advice for building sites based on CLC\u00c2\u00a0guidance states that construction workers\u00c2\u00a0can work face to face within two metres of each other as long as it is for\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u009815 minutes or less where possible\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

Unite believes with good practice social distancing can be maintained\u00c2\u00a0for most tasks and where this is not possible the task should not be undertaken.<\/p>\n

But Cartmail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s concern is that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bto date there is evidence of confusion and if the 15-minute relaxation persists it will\u00c2\u00a0heighten\u00c2\u00a0concerns\u00c2\u00a0about spreading Covid-19 into communities and workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 homes.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Financial pressures bearing down on workers\u00c2\u00a0to\u00c2\u00a0go back to work are very real \u00e2\u20ac\u201c over 50 per cent of all construction workers are\u00c2\u00a0self-employed. Unite has lobbied and won financial support for self-employed construction workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but the long delay in accessing support\u00c2\u00a0is a real issue\u00c2\u00a0that\u00c2\u00a0many are grappling with.<\/p>\n

Cartmail continues, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite believes construction\u00c2\u00a0workers\u00c2\u00a0should be included within the sectors designated for Covid-19 testing\u00c2\u00a0as one of a number of measures necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGovernment needs to understand that construction workers have travelled to and from work among these other key workers and will continue to do so. For testing to be effective within the key worker group construction workers must be included.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n