Covid rules: Workers face terrible choice, says TUC

Business / Mon 21st Feb 2022 at 11:07am

PEOPLE should not be forced into making a “terrible choice” over going into work with Covid or risking losing income by self-isolating at home, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said reports the BBC.

The trade union raised concerns ahead of the expected scrapping of the legal requirement in England to self-isolate.

It said two million workers in low-paid jobs do not qualify for sick pay.

Boris Johnson is expected to set out plans for the end of all Covid rules in England in the Commons this afternoon.

At the moment, positive or asymptomatic people have to isolate for up to 10 days, but can end their isolation earlier if they register negative lateral flow tests on both days five and six.

As well as scrapping isolation laws, the government is also expected to reduce the amount of free Covid tests, after the prime minister said £2bn was spent on tests in January.

Business Minister Paul Scully told the BBC’s Today programme that the money “could be spent on other priorities” as cases and deaths continue to fall.

“We want to get people back into their workplaces, we want to get the economy working, but it will be up to employers and employees,” he added.

Kate Bell of the TUC said people who do not qualify for sick pay due to their wages were facing a “major issue” over choosing whether to self-isolate with Covid or not.

“If they have got Covid they want to be able to stay at home without facing a terrible choice about whether that means losing income for a week and they want to keep their colleagues safe and the other people they work with safe too,” she said.

“That shouldn’t be a choice that people are forced to make on their own.”

For the full story, click below

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60460780

6 Comments for Covid rules: Workers face terrible choice, says TUC:

Mark

2022-02-21 11:18:33

People have been working throughout the pandemic: health workers, shop workers, police, fire, transport, etc. Stop being wimps!

Jerry

2022-02-21 11:38:47

The ridiculously generous furlough scheme spoiled people who were on it. My neighbour used to boast to me how he was receiving £2000 a month for sitting at home watching daytime tv and scratching himself and he didn't want it to end but ironically he lost his job and now lives on JSA and has only been offered jobs that would pay him half what he was receiving on furlough. The economics of madness. Most of the unemployed now are in that situation because they do not want to work.

Nostradamus

2022-02-21 12:14:39

If you knowingly injure or kill a person and cause them loss then might that person sue you for damages, especially if it was avoidable? What if you do this by knowingly taking a deadly disease to work, does that count? If you contract an illness due to working conditions might you or your union expect compensation to be paid especially to your family should you die? Re COVID there is the real risk that if free testing is stopped and mask wearing is not seen as a sensible precaution then the virus will circulate and replicate still more and this raises the risk of new and potentially more dangerous variants emerging. Looking at Hong Kong, it's not over yet. Everyone should be entitled to good levels of support during illness and sick pay but to avoid an abuse of the system effective systems of testing and checking need to be developed and done asap so at the very least we are better equipped for the next pandemic. The UK and many other countries didn't learn the lessons from SARs and millions died when COVID hit. Re the TUC : we need unions more than ever to restore the balance of power: the union movement has been hamstrung and many people are still be working impossibly long hours for incredibly low wages.

Ray

2022-02-21 14:01:24

There are some lazy stewards out there.

Mel

2022-02-21 16:07:22

This isn’t about people not being at work, this is about knowing covid positive individuals don’t have to isolate anymore. Previously people have been working throughout like shop workers and nhs staff, but also with the reassurance that people who were positive were in isolation not knowing spreading the virus. Life isn’t really restricted at the moment by having to test or isolate if positive. People can still live their life. I overheard staff in a shop discussing this today, saying they’d feel safer if it was kept as it is.

Jay

2022-02-22 02:10:27

Mark. Yes people have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic. Including myself in a hospital. It's not about people being wimps at all. Its about those who don't qualify for sick pay making the decision to lose pay and isolate if they test positive or going to work and potentially spreading it to other people. How is being concerned of spreading covid to their coworkers being a wimp? Maybe you should have read the article properly before commenting. I may work in a hospital but I am a contractor. I don't qualify for sick pay whether it's covid or something else. Statutory sick pay is less than one shifts pay. If I was to get covid I would isolate, but I'd also be worried about money the next month as I would have lost a big chunk of my pay.