Branch Secretary : info@housingworkers.org.uk
  

Health and Social Care Workers not properly protected

“The best way to remember those that have perished is to build something in their name, a trade union movement worthy of the name. Because that will allow us to protect the living. Unite will always do more that demand just laws - we will lead the fight for ourselves, for safety, beginning at the workplace.”

 

In a message of solidarity for International Workers’ Memorial Day, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Many workers paid the price for the pandemic with their lives and with their health because they were exposed to this virus at work. Politicians clapped their pots and pans for doctors, nurses and social care workers, but soon forgot the sacrifice.  There was no reward – just insulting pay cuts – and still we must fight for safety at work.

 

 

“The best way to remember those that have perished is to build something in their name, a trade union movement worthy of the name. Because that will allow us to protect the living. Unite will always do more that demand just laws - we will lead the fight for ourselves, for safety, beginning at the workplace.”

 

Protective equipment

 

Doctors in Unite chair Dr Jackie Applebee said: “The tragic loss of so many Health and Social care Workers (HSCWs) is compounded by the fact that many of these deaths were unnecessary. We will never know exactly how many, but from the start of the pandemic HSCWs have not been properly protected, and this continues to this day. It is self-evident that airborne infections need special protective equipment.”

 

Unite national officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe said: “This situation is intolerable. Not surprisingly tens of thousands of HSCWs continue to be infected, many are off sick with Covid and an estimated 150,000 others have developed Long Covid. We will not rest until our colleagues are given the respect they deserve, and the protections they need to safely carry out their jobs.”

 

See workers memorial day resources here.

 

"more than 2,000 health and social care workers having died as a result of the pandemic, according to ONS data"

 

The call for all health and social care workers (HSCWs) to be issued with special equipment - respiratory protective equipment (RPE) – as the Covid crisis continues will be highlighted tomorrow (Thursday 28 April) at an event organised by Doctors in Unite (DiU) at the National Covid Memorial Wall in London.

 

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid is being urged to ensure that RPE is provided for all the healthcare workforce, which is not currently the case, despite more than 2,000 health and social care workers having died as a result of the pandemic, according to ONS data.

 

For full Sharon Graham article see here

 

27 April 2022

 

 

POST A COMMENT!

Before Posting

We welcome debate and discussion on our website, but we also want an open, respectful, inclusive space in which forms of abuse or personal attack will not be tolerated. Comments will be moderated and will be removed if they are found to be unduly offensive. You should also be very careful in posting information about your employer. Employers do visit the website and if you think a comment could get you into trouble for releasing confidential or sensitive information, or for bringing the employer into disrepute, please do not post it. It remains your individual responsibility to ensure that what you post is appropriate. Please therefore just give a moment's thought to what you are saying. The types of comments that are likely to be moderated are:


  • Personal abuse or attacks on an individual.
  • Information which breaches another person's right to confidentiality.
  • The use of offensive language, including swear words, or language which is racist, sexist, or otherwise breaches equalities standards.
  • Anything that might place the Branch or the wider union in legal jeopardy.
  • Adverts or information which is posted for commercial gain.

* Name
* Email (will not be published)
Website
Comment
* field is required