Covid-19

The global pandemic in 2020.

Organising in the care sector

During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the more heartening signs has been how people are demanding that care workers get far more recognition and reward. The labour movement needs to fight for full public ownership and proper funding of the care sector and for care workers to win radically better pay, conditions, and respect. On the moral level it is one of the most eye-watering injustices of our system that most care workers are paid the £8.74 per hour minimum wage or little more for risking their lives in this pandemic, and often the reward to them and their families is £95.85p per week...

Learning lessons in dark times

Things are dark now for socialists almost everywhere. Nationalism, nativism and violent reaction are on the march across the globe.

Is TfL lobbying against social distancing guidance?

In a 30 April presentation to the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), an international umbrella body for public transport providers, TfL director Grant Hobbs stated that, if the 2m guidance on social distancing remains in place, London Underground could only accommodate 13% of its...

Lockdown-easing in Germany

Germany's federal states have been gradually easing their pandemic "lockdowns" since some schools were partially reopened in the second half of April. So far as can be seen, daily confirmed cases, outstanding active case numbers, and daily deaths are still falling gradually. The "lockdown" was always more liberal than in Britain. One-third of workplaces went onto "Kurzarbeit" (a scheme where the government pays wages for temporarily laid-off workers), but travel to work went down by 43% in Germany compared to around 65% in Italy, Spain, France, and the UK. German manufacturing has been running...

Workers' control over "easing"

Workers, and our unions, need to get out in front of any discussion or planning by the bosses to begin to reopen workplaces and bring workers back to work.

A public care system must focus on independent living

Reply by Will Sefton here . I agree with Sacha Ismail's argument in his survey of social care that the system needs radical reshaping – though we may disagree about the shape. For me, the focus of social care needs to be independent living. Our priority must be enabling people to have control over the care they receive, whether through direct payments or commissioned care. People should only be living in institutions where that is their genuine preference, and should be given whatever resources they would require to live in the community. The number of care home deaths during Covid-19 really...

Tories keep UK's prisons full, despite Covid-19

The Ministry of Justice is treading a dangerous path in its response to Covid-19. Since early on in the pandemic prisons have received attention as potential hotbeds of contagion. They are cramped and unsanitary institutions, full of people with underlying health problems who receive inadequate healthcare whilst they’re incarcerated. Prisons also increase the rate of spread in the community due to the daily through-flow of families and service providers visiting prisoners, staff clocking in and out, and prisoners starting and finishing custodial sentences. Reported cases and deaths of...

Furloughed cleaners face 20% pay cut

Cleaning contractor ABM has informed RMT reps that will be furloughing some cleaners, possibly including those on long-term distancing from work and some part-time staff. While it has guaranteed to protect jobs, it does not intend to top up the additional 20% of cleaners' salaries, meaning that any...

Safe and equal

Government and employers are hoping to avoid further concessions on workers’ rights in the crisis: evidently their idea is that outpourings of patriotic rhetoric in the media and weekly clapping sessions will create a chorus of national unity that can drown out workers’ demands for equality and safety. The Safe and Equal campaign is trying to amplify those workers’ demands, by reporting on, lobbying around, and drawing together the many issues and fights arising among frontline workers. This week our supporters in the NHS have highlighted the duty of the Chief Nurse (and indeed all nursing...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.