• THE government’s handling of the Covid-19 epidemic has been woefully inadequate.

It has already taken the lives of more than 50 front-line transport workers and over 180 health care staff.

This is a disgrace and utterly unacceptable.

We are looking to our unions and the government to support all workers during this pandemic.

We demand as a matter of extreme urgency that:

– Key workers be given adequate PPE, personal protective equipment, with immediate effect and adequate deep cleaning of all work areas.

– Economic support should be automatic and statutory sick pay must be enhanced.

– Non-essential work should stop and no worker should be disciplined for refusing to work without adequate protection.

– Casualised workers’ employment should not be terminated and they should be protected; this is not an opportunity to worsen conditions for workers on casual contracts but to introduce new measures to increase job security.

– Testing, contact tracing, isolating and monitoring be introduced for key workers in all sectors (transport, education, health care sectors, council, civil service and retail) who have direct contact with the public.

– No one in any sectors including educators should return to work until government can guarantee the safety of all including vulnerable children; any return should be negotiated to ensure adequate PPE, testing, appropriate social distancing, and safe travel to the workplace.

– Our union leaders release a robust joint response to the government, ensuring that the health and wellbeing of their members is at the heart of government policy and demanding that there is no going back to expecting workers to pay the price for the economic crisis.

HELENA AKSENTIJEVIC Camden NEU, LIZ WHEATLEY & PHOEBE WATKINS Camden Unison, SANDY NICOLL & TOM ARMSTRONG SOAS Unison, JANET MAIDEN Nurse and Unison UCLH, JOHN LIPETZ Camden Keep Our NHS Public, CANDY UDWIN PCS Central London committee, ALYSON JAMES & DAVID JENKINS Westminster Kingsway College UCU, TONY SULLIVAN Branch LCF UCU University of the Arts, MARIE LYNAM Hampstead & Kilburn Labour Party, IRANG BAK MA student SOAS, GEORGE BINETTE Camden Trades Council, SEAN WALLIS UCL UCU