Clearer guidance still needed on face coverings in schools in England, says UNISON

Parents and staff are still confused over the wearing of face coverings in schools, says UNISON today (Friday).  

The union has now written to secretary of state for education Gavin Williamson urging him to allow all school staff to be allowed to wear face coverings if they choose.

UNISON also supports calls to let pupils wear face coverings too, given emerging evidence that transmission rates among secondary school children could be equal to those for adults.

Employers must also provide safety kit, such as masks where necessary, to staff found to be at higher risk of Covid-19 following an individual assessment, says UNISON.

It comes ahead of updated government guidance coming into effect this weekend which makes face covering compulsory for all inside public spaces from Saturday.

Current Department for Education guidance to schools needs an immediate review to ensure measures to protect staff, pupils and the wider community are improved, says the union.   

UNISON senior national officer for education Ruth Levin said: “Parents, staff and the public are suffering needless anxiety because of the government’s confused messages around face coverings.

“We’re just weeks away from a return to the classroom and staff and pupils need to know where they stand. UNISON believes they should be allowed to wear face coverings if they want to.

“It’s been a shambles from the start on what the rules are. The government must act urgently to sort out this mess and ensure the reopening of schools is as safe as possible for staff, pupils and the public.”

Notes for editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk

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New evaluation system should help government concentrate on delivering for social care, says UNISON

Welcoming plans for a new evaluation system for the government’s health and care pledges, announced today (Wednesday) by the Health and Social Care Committee, UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“This should encourage the government to focus on what can actually be delivered for the beleaguered care sector, and less on the headlines to be gained.

“In recent months there’s often been a gaping chasm between pledges made by ministers and the reality.

“The government pledged that no care worker would lose out financially if they have to self-isolate or shield. Yet many staff are still having to get by on statutory sick pay of less than £96 a week five months into the pandemic.

“The same can be said about safety kit and testing. Thousands of care employees still don’t have the right protective equipment and have yet to be offered a test.

“The committee must ensure that expert contributors to the panel include the representatives of the workforce. They are so often the best judges of what is being delivered in health and social care.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

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Homerton Hospital workers secure living wage and sick pay victory

Homerton Hospital’s cleaners, porters and security staff will be paid the London living wage and NHS sick pay “from day one” of a renewed, five-year contract with facilities firm ISS.

However, hospital workers will still not get NHS equivalents for their wages, pensions, overtime or annual leave.

Since December 2019, UNISON has been running a campaign alongside GMB to persuade hospital chiefs to bring the outsourced services back in-house, ensuring parity for the lowest-paid key workers.

UNISON organiser Michael Etheridge told the Hackney Gazette: “While this is far short of equality and what our members deserve, we will celebrate sick pay as a big victory.”

Concerns had been raised during the COVID-19 pandemic that, with over half of the workforce only entitled to statutory sick pay and unable to afford time off, staff were potentially coming into work while ill and infecting patients.

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Councils forced to pick up the pieces from failing test and trace

Evidence published today (Tuesday) shows that England’s privately-run test and trace system is unlikely to prevent a second wave of COVID-19.

UNISON has labelled the system ‘a mess’ and warned that councils are set to pick up the pieces.

The reopening of schools in September, combined with a sluggish test and trace system, is anticipated to bring another spike in the virus.

Researchers at UCL and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have modelled what may happen when schools reopen and some parents return to the workplace.

In order to avoid a second wave, we need a system that is able to consistently contact 70% or more of those who may have been infected.

However, the private companies that the government has awarded the £10bn contact tracing system to are reportedly only contacting approximately 50% of people who may have been infected.

The system has already been labelled “chaotic” and “a complete shambles” in recent months.

Researchers state that, without an effective and integrated contact tracing and isolation programme, there could be a second wave of COVID-19 more than twice as large as the first.

How test and trace works:

• People with symptoms of cough, fever or loss of sense of smell or taste are tested
• If they are positive for coronavirus, they isolate for 10 days and their household does so for 14 days
• They have to inform the NHS of everyone they have come into close contact with
• These contacts must also spend 14 days in quarantine

With local lockdowns and local spikes in infection rates, councils are taking matters into their own hands to ensure that their residents are contacted. Local authority staff in Blackburn, Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Leicester are now contacting people where the national contracted-out system has failed.

A study in June showed that local health protection teams are able to contact 90% of those identified.

UNISON believes that the following three measures must be urgently set in place to make sure that schools, and all other workplaces are safe:

• A robust and functioning, fully integrated testing, contact tracing and isolation system
• That these systems should be carried out by an accountable and well-resourced public sector
• That employees should not suffer financially whilst self-isolating, when ill with or recovering from COVID-19. Without this, many individuals will not be able to isolate for the required period of time without being pushed into poverty.

UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said: “We all want schools to reopen, and to reopen safely. We all want safe places for young people to learn in and staff to work in.”

“The current system in England is a mess. Billions of tax payers’ money has already been spent on a system that can’t deliver and now cash-strapped councils are being forced to pick up the pieces.”

Do you work in test and trace? We’d like to hear your experiences. Tell us your story.

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Outsourced cleaners at Luton and Dunstable Hospital claim NHS pay victory

Hospital cleaners at Luton and Dunstable have won a campaign to be paid NHS rates.

The deal will come into effect when private contractor Engie’s contract ends in November. From then on, the workers will enjoy full NHS pay of at least £9.21 an hour, as well as any nationally agreed future rises.

Staff have also won improved annual leave and sick pay entitlements.

The trust is currently picking the next private firm to run its cleaning, catering and housekeeping contract, but all workers will be guaranteed NHS pay rates.

UNISON regional organiser Shane Hall said: “This is brilliant news for some of the lowest-paid workers at Luton and Dunstable. After a hard-fought campaign, they’ll end up with much more money in their pockets.

“We spent weeks clapping our NHS staff while many L&D cleaners were doing an absolutely vital job in the hospital for minimum wage. This deal means they’ve got something to applaud themselves.

“This isn’t everything we’ve been fighting for — cleaners, caterers and housekeepers would feel far more valued and part of the NHS family if they were on full NHS contracts — but it’s a life-changing improvement for these vital workers.”

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Blog: LGBT+, COVID-19 and mental health

COVID-19 has meant it’s a pretty scary time to be a human. Add into the mix being LGBT+, Black, disabled and/or a woman and life can be even more difficult.

And because of prejudice and discrimination, people from the LGBT+ community are more likely to experience mental health problems.

In the wider community, around 1 in 4 people are affected by mental ill health. But in the LGBT+ community these figures can be as high as 70%, with trans people – and in particular young trans people – significantly over-represented (41% having attempted to end their lives).

Meanwhile, over the past 10 years dedicated LGBT+ services have been devastated by austerity.

Since the start of the pandemic, some of our community have had to move back home to families they have not yet come out to.

Some of us are living with people we know to be homophobic, biphobic or transphobic. Some of us may be victims of domestic abuse. Many of us do not feel safe where we are living at the moment.

Research by the LGBT Foundation during lockdown showed that 8% of LGBT+ people did not feel safe. This rose to 15% of disabled LGBT+ people, 17% of trans people and 17% of non-binary people.

Many LGBT+ people rely on LGBT+ communities and spaces for vital support, understanding and friendship. COVID-19 restrictions have meant that we haven’t been able to socialise or communicate with our own community. This can affect our mental health and make our lives miserable and very depressing.

Isolation can be another huge issue for LGBT+ people: 30% of LGBT+ people live by themselves, and this rises to 40% of LGBT+ people who are aged 50 or over.

Working from home can bring a whole set of extra issues. We can feel low in mood and not have anyone around just to sound off to.

We might be home schooling reluctant kids. I don’t know about you, but fractions are things I thought I left behind me many years ago!

Or we might be furloughed and uncertain what the future holds for us. Many things can exacerbate our feelings of being alone or feeling low and sad. But help is out there.

In this digital age, keeping in touch with people is so much easier, even for people living in remote places. There are any number of Facebook groups, blogs, forums, online events and vlogs available. They cover all manner of interests, whether that be camping, museum tours, self-help groups or even virtual worldwide travelling. However, we know that not all LGBT+ members can access virtual events.

If you are concerned about finances, UNISON’s charity There for You can help with advice as well as financial assistance.

There are lots of other organisations out there who can help, too. You don’t need to give your real name or tell them where you live. You can access them online, by text, via chat or by phone.

There are people ready and willing to listen to you, to offer advice and assistance. They can help you with emotional or practical issues such as benefits, housing or how to access medical support.

Don’t be alone: reach out

UNISON campaigns on mental health, and has guidance on mental health for branches (pdf). 

And of course there is UNISON’s own LGBT+ community to contact for support and information.

External organisations include Rainbow Mind which champions LGBT+ mental health; GALOP is the LGBT+ anti-violence charity and the LGBT Foundation offers further advice and support.

Eileen Best is a mental health social worker

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Police unions seek improvement of pay offer

The police staff trade unions – UNISON, Unite and GMB – have agreed to go back to the employers to seek an improvement for low-paid police staff on the current pay offer for 2020.

The offer, made on 22 July, is for:

• 2.5% increase on all pay points with effect from 1 September 2020;
• 2.5% increase on standby allowance with effect from 1 September 2020;
• Without prejudice talks on police staff apprenticeship pay.

However, this falls far short of the unions’ pay claim, which included a 6.5%, or £1,200, increase in police staff pay and 6.5% increase in standby allowance and away from home overnight allowance.

The £1,200 flat rate element of the claim was aimed at addressing the fact that the lowest pay point for police staff is overtaken every year by the real living wage – illustrating how low is the entry point to the police.

UNISON’s national officer for police staff Ben Priestly said: “Despite saying that they are committed to improving low pay in policing, the police employers have offered nothing in addition to address this on-going scandal of low pay in our police forces.

“We cannot have a situation where the increase to the lowest police staff pay point on 1 September each year is routinely overtaken by the real living wage every November.”

In seeking further negotiations, the unions have presented the following improvements to the offer:

• 2.5% or £500 (whichever is the greater) increase on all pay points with effect from 1 September 2020. £500 is worth more than 2.5% for all staff earning under £20,000 a year;
• the deletion of the lowest pay point in the pay scale, to deal “once and for all” with the problem of this pay point being leap-frogged each year by the real living wage.

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