In a letter dated 2 March 2020 NHS England told all Trust bosses to “Ensure that any member of staff, including bank staff and sub-contractors, who has to be physically present at an NHS facility to carry out their duties, receives full pay for any period in which they are required to self-isolate as a result of public health advice.” NHS Employers have published this advice making the link with infection control. Unison, the NHS’ largest all-grades union, has also confirmed this advice indicating that members will be supported if there is any quibble about this from management.
The problem is that this right is not being well publicised and many workers on zero hours contracts and similar, in the NHS, are unaware of this right. If they do not know they can self-isolate on full pay, then the risk remains.
To make sure we are all as safe as possible we need to SPREAD THE WORD!
What you can do
- Join a union. Ask around your colleagues: is there a union rep working in your department? If there is, it is probably best to say hello to them and join their union. If you don’t know if there is a union rep on your team at work, or if you don’t know what union to join, have a look at this website to help find the best union to join – but join one immediately, before you close this tab!
- With your colleagues and fellow union members, publicise this NHS England policy. Ask your union to let everyone know and push your Trust’s Chief Executive to tell you what they are doing to ensure everyone at your work knows about it and can access full pay to self isolate. Model letter to your Chief Executive here.
Visit our sister site: https://elftworkerssolidarity.org/
Safe and Equal 