Supporting workers during a pandemic – what you told us & what we are doing
Issues raised include an extension to the furlough scheme, basic universal invome and better protection for workers.
The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on businesses and workers. To fully understand the impact of the lockdown measures on Londoners, we started a discussion to hear how your work situation was affected and how City Hall could support you.
At the time of writing this update, our discussion on supporting workers had over 130 comments. Thank you to everyone who shared what was on your mind.
What you told us:
We heard about how your employment situation had been affected by the coronavirus crisis. Many of you wanted to see the furlough scheme extended beyond July, and some self-employed members reported that they have been severely affected, while others have lost their jobs, or were now struggling to pay bills or rents. “I was self-employed, and zero hour contracted on another job. The nature of my self-employed work means I might fall through the cracks and get no help.”
The announcement of the furlough extension to October has been welcomed by the Mayor. He has written to Government to highlight issues specific to London’s labour market that should be considered, including accounting for the higher cost of living in London for the self-employed income support scheme (SEISS), and encouraging Government to fully assess the equalities impact of the schemes and ensuring speedy payments to those eligible.
Others asked for clear guidance on employment rights. We have now updated the Employment Rights Hub with the latest Government guidance and the London Growth Hub has information to help small businesses navigate the current challenges and help them protect jobs.
Many of you want to see special measures in place before returning to work, including wearing face coverings when it is not possible to maintain social distancing, and efforts to reduce pressure on public transport through cycling and walking. “Surely in future, it would benefit everyone if working from home was encouraged and expanded. It would mean less travel time, fewer journeys, less congestion, less pollution, less stress for workers etc. We need to rethink the way we work.”
The Mayor has been encouraging wearing a non-medical face covering on public transport for a while. From Monday 15 June, Government has made it mandatory for passengers on public transport in England to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth for the entirety of any journeys made.
Transport for London is urging everyone who must use public transport, to travel outside the busiest times of between 05:45-08:15 and 16:00-17.30. They are increasing service levels across the network but are asking employers to be flexible about working hours if possible. TfL continues to put measures in place to help enable social distancing. This includes new signage and platform stickers and operating stations differently through restricting station entry if necessary and one-way
Have your say:
As lockdown restrictions across the world have started to ease, we’re keen to understand how you feel about reopening the economy in London.
Some of you already mentioned improved testing, increased capacity on public transport and the introduction of flexible core hours.
What reassurances or measures would you like to see in place? What would encourage or discourage you to return to work? What kind of support from Government, City Hall, your employer or other organisations would be most helpful for you right now, and going forward? If you have been asked to return to work, what reassurances or measures have been put into place?
Join in our discussion