{"id":28243,"date":"2021-03-26T15:04:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T15:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=28243"},"modified":"2021-03-29T12:45:49","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T11:45:49","slug":"the-year-time-stood-still","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=28243","title":{"rendered":"The year time stood still"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The older we get, the quicker the years seem to fly by, but 2020 was a clear exception \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was the year time stood still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for key workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from NHS staff to bus workers, supermarket staff to refuse workers, childminders to care workers and many more in between \u00e2\u20ac\u201cthis last year has no doubt felt like a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week a year ago, the government announced that all non-essential businesses would have to close under a blanket stay-at-home order. And exactly a year ago today (March 26) people came out to their doorsteps and their balconies, standing together united in a remarkable display of solidarity clapping for key workers under lockdown for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday evening clapping became a weekly ritual as the nation collectively paid tribute to the efforts of the hundreds of thousands of essential workers who would keep the country going in this unprecedented time of crisis \u00e2\u20ac\u201c often at great risk to themselves and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that more than 600 frontline health and social care workers in the UK have died from coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 65 bus workers have died after contracting the virus in London alone. It is not known precisely how many thousands of other key workers have died while working to help others, but we know that people in low-paid occupations, many of them essential, are nearly twice as likely to be killed by coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many key workers, Thursday evening clapping in those early months of the pandemic has effectively turned into a slap in the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the government announced that pay for non-NHS public sector workers, many of whom perform absolutely essential work such as refuse workers, would be frozen.\u00c2\u00a0 After this announcement in November, there was a justifiable outcry from public sector workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve worked throughout this pandemic, Monday to Friday, handling bins and refuse sacks to then go home to our families,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite rep and refuse worker Simon Cotton told the Mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not immune from the virus, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t avoid us because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re key workers,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re emptying everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bins, keeping the streets clean, and then going home to our loved ones, putting them at risk too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been on the front line and haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stopped. It just shows you how out of touch this Tory government is.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in March, in another blow to key workers, the government said that for NHS staff, who very literally put their lives on the line to save others, they would be recommending only a one per cent pay rise this year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c after a decade of pay freezes under austerity, this amounts to a decisive pay cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Disbelief\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, UNITElive spoke to pharmacists<\/a>, who like other NHS workers, have played an absolutely vital role throughout the pandemic. Pharmacist and Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists rep Seema Varma said she had only word for the pay rise announcement \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0098disbelief\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNHS staff have gone into work day in and day out caring for sick patients at great personal risk to themselves,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMany have sadly passed away, while others have experienced their first mental health episode as a result of the stress of the pandemic. Additionally, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had to deal with the stress of potentially bringing Covid home to their families, or job losses within the family. But they go into work every day \u00e2\u20ac\u201c because they care about their patients and colleagues. The pay rise announcement was a slap in the face.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the government may not have a direct say over pay for key workers in the private sector, such as supermarket staff and many care workers, with the stroke of a pen, the government could significantly increase the statutory minimum wage. This move would give an instant pay rise to more than 2m workers, a huge swathe of whom are key workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an increase in the minimum wage to a paltry \u00c2\u01418.91 an hour \u00e2\u20ac\u201c significantly below the real Living Wage of \u00c2\u01419.50 and less than the \u00c2\u014110 an hour that Unite and other unions have called for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual companies also have a huge role to play in rewarding our key worker heroes who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve not only kept our nation going in this time of crisis but who have contributed massively to many companies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 success, both before and throughout the pandemic. While many good companies have shown their appreciation, far too many have failed their loyal workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take supermarket giant Sainsbury\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, for example, which enjoyed a major boost to revenues over the last year at a time when many other retail businesses were forced to shut under lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February, Sainsbury\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s announced a meagre 20p pay rise <\/a>for its staff \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and additional staff bonuses, which the company insisted would make up for the low pay offer, have in fact worsened the financial situation for many workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Pathetic pay rise\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese bonuses will cause reductions and interruptions to payments of universal credit and working tax credits that many Sainsbury\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s staff rely on,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite national officer Bev Clarkson explained, calling the pay rise \u00e2\u20ac\u0098pathetic\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver the last year, Sainsbury\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s staff have risked their health to keep the nation fed. They kept Sainsbury\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coffers full as they did so, even as other businesses were going to the wall,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, many bus workers, who again were absolutely vital in the pandemic response by, for example, helping other key workers get to work, are now likewise being failed by their employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 400 bus drivers working for Go North West in Manchester are in the midst of a bitter dispute over plans to fire and rehire and them<\/a> on vastly inferior terms and conditions. The bus drivers have been on continuous all-out strike action since February 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, it was revealed that parent company Go-Ahead has been paying shareholder dividends even as it plans to slash pay for its bus drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGo-Ahead is intent on using taxpayers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 money to pay dividends to fat cat shareholders at the same time that they are cutting the pay of bus drivers who have kept the service running throughout the pandemic,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite national officer for passenger transport Bobby Morton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGo-Ahead care more about keeping its shareholders happy, rather than the wellbeing of bus drivers, who they expect to work even longer hours for no extra pay,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGo-Ahead\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attitude demonstrates all that is wrong about the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s privatised bus service.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire and rehire<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Go North West bus drivers, like many workers across the country, are fighting \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fire and rehire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 tactics through industrial action, Unite is also aiming to fight the growing practice in the halls of power. The union is calling for the practice to be banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, a Unite-commissioned survey of MPs and business leaders found<\/a> that an overwhelming majority want to see workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights strengthened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poll also found that a majority of business and industry leaders would like to see more generous terms and conditions for sick pay, and that post-pandemic planning is the top priority for MPs and business leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a net overall score, post-pandemic planning (83 per cent) and extending the furlough scheme (76 per cent) remain the top two priorities for the government to address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese findings show that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no clamour for going back to business as usual after the pandemic. Given the wide support among MPs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c including one fifth of Tory MPs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and business leaders for improved workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights, I urge the government to build on this,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite general secretary Len McCluskey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSeize the initiative and move to arrest the latest abuse of UK workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights, the disease of fire and rehire that is ripping through our workplaces,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMillions of workers are now fighting to hang onto the wages that support their families as contracts signed in good faith are being destroyed by bad employers without consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFire and rehire belongs in the dark ages, not a modern-day nation, so I say to the government do the right thing: make the first law of the post-pandemic period one that bans this hideous practice.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the year where time stood still is over Unite believes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to move on to employers and government doing the decent thing. Like paying people a proper wage for the incredible service they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve given and sacrifices they have made; to stop using the pandemic as an excuse to abuse workers and trounce upon their rights; to end fire and rehire and similar practices \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and to say to all of our workers wherever they are \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a massive thank you. We couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have survived without you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Hajera Blagg<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pic by Mark Thomas<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The older we get, the quicker the years seem to fly by, but 2020 was a clear exception \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was the year time stood still. And for key workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from NHS staff to bus workers, supermarket staff to refuse workers, childminders to care workers and many more in between \u00e2\u20ac\u201cthis last year has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28036,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1308,17],"tags":[1295,1406,63,184],"wps_subtitle":"The pandemic has taken its dreadful toll \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but the govt and some employers just want to use it as an excuse for low pay and workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights abuses","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28243"}],"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=28243"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28245,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28243\/revisions\/28245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}