Workers, by Edvard Munsch
British Trade Unions are calling for a new deal for workers after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the centre of this is the creation of a National Council for Economic Reconstruction where unions, businesses and Government can work together to reorder our social and environmental priorities on jobs, prosperity and a sustainable economy.
Though there is a partial return to work in many sectors, the Government’s inability to deliver the most basic security, including adequate PPE, a system of testing, track and trace, and logistics to provide medical and other essential supplies, has caused anxiety and distrust in many workplaces.
Workers should not be expected to weigh up economic security against their well-being and that of their loved ones. Trade unionists up and down the country have negotiated with management for special arrangements for those shielding and those with caring responsibilities.
Many dedicated health and care workers have already died during the pandemic, as have bus drivers, security guards, postal workers, and others providing essential services. Nevertheless, key workers continue to provide the vital services to the public on daily basis, from bin collection to broadband.
The TUC has called for employers to publish risk assessments and action plans, and for management to cooperate with union safety representatives at a local level to establish good practice. There has to be monitoring so workers are not pressured to cut corners and compromise their safety or that of the public. A revived Health and Safety Executive must have a greater practical enforcement role.
Official predictions of unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 crisis point to job losses on a scale not seen for generations. The effects of mass unemployment are devastating for communities and individual working people, particularly those who are younger. We need a welfare safety net and job guarantee schemes, rather than the current punitive model of benefit sanctioning.
Continuing the policies of accelerated deregulation of the labour market, tax breaks and cuts to public sector from the past decade of austerity is not the way forward post pandemic.
The lack of corporate social responsibility from the new tech and platform companies does not, however, bode well for the future. From Silicon Valley to the distribution hubs of the highly profitable multi- national delivery firms, these new entrepreneurs continue old practices like tax avoidance and lack of accountability to their workforce. There is an urgent need to support the millions of workers in precarious and apparent self-employment who are currently excluded from basic rights such as sick pay.
The focus for reordering our political economy to support the good jobs of the future must be on investment for sustainable growth in the public and private sectors. We need to extend public ownership, with democratic control, of essential sectors of the economy. Also vital is State support for the use of technology and training to enhance skills and productivity.
In his letter to brothers and sisters of popular movements and organisations in April 2020 Pope Francis criticised ‘market solutions’ that do not acknowledge and dignify workers’ lives. He called for consideration of a Universal Basic Wage in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of a wider vision for change.
We need to reform our labour market to make work a good part of our lives. After the pandemic we must rebuild and reshape our political economy on a fairer and more equal basis. Improving workers’ rights is at the heart of this.
Dr Maria Exall is PDRA in Catholic Social Thought and Practice in the Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University.