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Lockdown, trade unions and returning to work
The Communist Party's ANDY BAIN asks how the labour movement should approach easing the lockdown
Rail information worker

The government is caught between a rock and a hard place and they will steer towards the rock of profits rather than the people’s health. 

The deliberately confusing easing of the existing partial lockdown opens the door to employers to force workers back to unhealthy workplaces and will persuade some of those desperate, for whatever reason, to get out of the house. This could lead to the lockdown crumbling, causing confusion and stress and a high chance of a second spike in deaths. 

Covid-19 has exposed the many faultlines of capitalism across the full range of human activity, the economic, political, scientific, infrastructure and the social.  

  • Around half the workforce who worked throughout, often in unsafe conditions – their struggles will continue much as before
  • The 6.3 million furloughed on 80 per cent of income, which is due to end in July – there will be arguments over when this is paid and the outstanding 20 per cent
  • The newly unemployed waiting (many previously in the most precarious work) for universal credit, now topped up by £20 — the government must be pushed to maximise employment with guaranteed hours
  • The self-employed (bogus or not), many of whom got an offer of some income but not till June — most of these will not be unionised but collective action will give them more clout
  • The relatively comfortable fully paid worker at home — may well want to continue working at home much of the time. But many employers will want their staff back in the workplace
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