BRITAIN’S biggest unions will not support the government’s back-to-work plans until ministers can guarantee the safety of workers, their leaders said at the weekend. 

The general secretaries of Unison, Unite, GMB and Usdaw, along with the TUC, warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson that they will not recommend millions of their members to return to work unless the “right policies and practices are in place to make workplaces safe.”

In a joint letter to the Observer on Saturday, Unison’s Dave Prentis, Len McCluskey of Unite, acting GMB leader TUC John Phillips, Usdaw’s Paddy Lillis and TUC head Frances O’Grady pointed out that many of their members have died from the virus while keeping the country running.