Jane Doolan: ‘This is about putting the safety of the nation first and it’s about protecting frontline staff who have no choice but to go out there into the community’

UNIONS have warned that frontline public sector workers’ morale is at a critical low as they face up to the pressures of dealing with a second coronavirus lockdown.

While NHS staff have been hailed for their life-saving efforts and were applauded from doorsteps on a weekly basis, council workers have often been the unsung heroes as they continued to work throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

In local government circles, their efforts to keep things up and running have privately been called the “fourth emergency service”.

With this week’s stay-at-home restrictions now under way, union officials warned that the public appear to be taking a more relaxed ­attitude to the pandemic and some may have forgotten sacrifices made by key workers.

This week Islington was still buzzing with activity as residents took a last chance to eat out, have a haircut and go to the pub.

Bus driver Emeka Nyack Ihenacho died in April

Jane Doolan, Islington branch secretary of Unison, which represents carers and council workers, told the Tribune: “I could not believe the amount of people who were out on Wednesday. Hairdressers were packed and people were lining up for restaurants and pubs.

“I think it is down to this government and mixed messages.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected advice from the government’s scientific advisers who suggested a two-week “circuit-breaker” in September, before announcing a national lockdown on Saturday evening.

Ms Doolan said: “People have got a bit blasé about the virus at the worst time, when we could be hit hardest.

“My view is this is about putting the safety of the nation first and it’s about protecting frontline staff who have no choice but to go out there into the community.”

The Tribune has regularly reported on the coronavirus challenges faced by the capital’s bus drivers as they fought for adequate safety standards at work after the death of Holloway Bus Garage driver Emeka Nyack Ihenacho in April.

Unite activist and bus driver Jimmy Ali said: “About half the country is now thinking ‘what is the point of lockdowns?’ and, with no end in sight, people are sick of this.

Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson

“This is because the government has been chopping and changing and breaking rules themselves every five minutes.”

Mr Ali, who has already survived the virus, added: “Some drivers are like me, thinking there is nothing we can do so we have taken it on the chin.

“But also we have older drivers with underlying health issues and they are worried.

“There are a lot of drivers who are putting themselves at risk.”

GMB Islington rep Gary Harris said: “Staff are losing morale. The government hasn’t done enough to reassure us and as a union we are struggling to know what advice we can give them. It’s not good enough.”

Council leader Richard Watts said: “Infection rates continue to rise at unsupportable levels in Islington and across the country, and if we do not act now, the loss of life is predicted to be much higher than we have previously seen.

“I want to emphasise the seriousness of the situation: Covid-19 is a real, deadly disease that can affect everyone, including people who are otherwise healthy.”

In his address to the nation on Saturday, Mr Johnson said: “The virus is spreading even faster than the reasonable worst-case scenario of our scientific advisers, whose models now suggest unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day.”

Tributes to those who have died

IN the first wave of the virus a total of 155 deaths in Islington have been Covid related, according to council documents.

The Town Hall has set up an online “Condolences Book” to commemorate those who have died during the pandemic, whether suffering from the virus or not, which is set to be fully operational next week.

Tributes to council officer Kim Ward (above) have already been published. One says: “We all miss Kim’s gentle wisdom, her sense of humour and her infectious positivity. She was a remarkable woman who made the world better, and we were lucky to work with her.”