Key workers providing food need our support to work in safe conditions

Huw Anslow looks at the role of key workers in supermarkets and food delivery during the lockdown, and the need for all of us to help protect their health.

Huge areas of the economy have shut down. Citizens face restrictions on their freedom to walk in public. And recent economic forecasts suggest that the UK’s economic output could plunge by 15% in the second quarter of 2020, with unemployment rates doubling. Make no mistake: we are living in unprecedented times.

Increasing pressure on food workers

The UK Government’s key workers list has set out which workers are indispensable to keep the country functioning as best it can. While many industries have furloughed staff or adopted working from home practices, the emphasis has been on keeping key industries up and running. Key workers include those involved with producing and providing food, including supermarkets and takeaways. The list symbolises a major shift in perceptions of the food industry.

Supermarkets and takeaways have seen demand surge and not only from panic buying. As cafes and restaurants have closed, the demand for lunches, evening meals and afternoon coffees that they would normally provide has fallen to the functioning parts of the industry to meet. Labour supply is also relatively low as more workers are in self-isolation and as the jobs market continues to readjust to the Coronavirus fallout. Together, these factors have resulted in increased pressure on the food industry. Alongside this, widespread reports continue to emerge of dangerous working conditions, with a lack of safe social distancing being adhered to.

Wales-wide action and the need to act locally

Against this, the Welsh Government has taken the welcome step of announcing a new 2-metre social distancing rule to come into force in all workplaces from tomorrow. While big name supermarkets and takeaways rightly come under scrutiny, let’s not forget the working conditions for workers in local food providers that might not have the brand recognition, but still have the demand. Local shops and takeaways, for example, are more than likely to see higher than usual demand.

Additionally, the Wales TUC has recently launched a whistleblowing form in response to these safety concerns. This allows workers to highlight issues in their working conditions, such as inadequate PPE equipment or a lack of safe social distancing in place. This is an important opportunity for workers to raise any safety concerns they have, and they don’t need to be members of a trade union. It is exactly this kind of initiative that can help identify where action is needed to protect workers and the wider public.

This need to act locally requires all of us to take a responsibility to scrutinise local working conditions. The pandemic has shown that neither governments nor businesses have the power alone to provide an effective response. We all need to take charge of our own ability to deter the spread of the virus and protect those holding society together. These workers are ensuring that we have enough food and essentials during the lockdown. In turn, we need to help these workers to remain healthy, by making sure employers are enforcing safe and responsible working conditions.

Stockpiling of food has shown how easy it can be revert to individualist thinking at a time of crisis. We must all make a concerted effort to be socially responsible – protecting workers providing us with food is a good place to start.

Huw Anslow is Project Officer at the Bevan Foundation, leading our work on fair work in the foundational economy. More information on this project can be found here.