The people are ahead of the government
in making serious moves to combat the spread of the coronavirus. It is
clear the government were pushed by organisations already taking action
to close down large events, a move we very much welcome. Where
government refuses to act civil society institutions, trade unions, and
ordinary citizens are taking matters into their own hands. We reject the
‘herd immunity’ theory that coronavirus can simply be left to rip
through society until enough people develop immunity. Not only is there
no proof this will happen with this virus, it is the most deadly and
careless approach the government could take. The government should be
acting on World Health Organisation guidance and learning from those
countries it commends for swift and decisive action. Older and
vulnerable people matter as much as everyone else. We insist the
government alter course immediately and implement the following
measures:
1. Close all schools, universities and
colleges. Government and Local Authorities to work with schools to
develop plans to get food to children who would have been entitled to
free school meals.
2. Mass testing and tracing, which World Health Organisation experts have suggested is more effective in the early stages.
3. Workers should be allowed to work
from home where possible. Introduce a mortgage and rent freeze for the
duration of the crisis for those workers denied their full pay.
4. Extend statutory sick pay to all
workers. Following successful pressure on the government to give sick
pay from day one for those affected by the virus. Statutory sick pay
should be uplifted to a living wage.
5. Pensioners on low-incomes, low
income workers and disabled people to be eligible for one-off grants to
cover food, fuel and travel costs.
6. Scrap the assessment period for
Universal Credit and make payments immediately. Sanctions for benefit
claimants who don’t attend appointments should be scrapped. Universal
Credit payments should be topped up to account for extra costs of
preparing for virus and moving to shut down.
7. Price controls to be introduced on
essential medical equipment and drugs. There must be no hiking of prices
on masks, ventilators, isolation units, beds, basic supplies like soap
and hand towels, as well as drugs to combat bacterial complications etc.
8. Private hospitals to be put under
the management of the NHS. Essential equipment owned by private
companies should be pooled as part of the overall effort; private
hospital beds should be treated as public.
9. Cleaners are a vital frontline, as
are NHS staff. They should both be given an immediate pay boost to
attract more cleaners, nurses, hospital porters and administrators. All
workers should have the protective clothing necessary in line with TUC
guidelines.
10. No scapegoating of Chinese people,
Italians, immigrants or anyone else. An emergency programme of aid and
refugee resettlement should be initiated across Europe.
11. The outbreak must not be used as a
pretext for clamping down on civil liberties. Frontline public sector
workers, especially health workers, should be brought in at the highest
level of decision making. The trade unions should be part of the
conversation with civil servants and senior NHS staff.