Royal Mail is putting "profits before safety" say postal workers, who claim the company is failing to protect them from the risk of catching coronavirus. There is a shortage of gloves, masks and hand sanitiser, employees from across the UK have told the BBC. They also claim social distancing at work is "almost impossible".
The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents thousands of postal workers, accuses Royal Mail of being slow to act in response to the crisis. North West divisional rep Ian Taylor said it had been "busier than Christmas" with parcels and said it was imperative that protective equipment reached frontline staff.
Over the last two weeks, staff at eight Royal Mail sites, including three in Scotland, have walked out over safety concerns. There have been unofficial walk-outs at Royal Mail sites in Chatham, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington, Didcot, Edinburgh, Alloa and Fife.
A supervisor based in the north of England said: "It's more than two weeks since the lockdown and we're in a situation where there is still a lack of PPE [personal protective equipment], there's still a lack of sanitisers, there is still a lack of direction." He said staff feel as though they are "forced to choose between their jobs and their health. I'm scared that my job will be in danger if I refuse to do a task because I believe it puts me in an unsafe position," he added.
Delivery and sorting office staff based in the North West and the Midlands have described difficult conditions with "no space" to keep safely two metres apart. They too feared for their jobs if they raised concerns publicly.
One postman said: "The buildings we work in aren't designed for people to be able to space out. Everyone's gathered together. We're under each others' skin. It's just completely impossible". He also criticised the company's response after he raised worries about insufficient supplies of hand sanitiser during delivery rounds.
Another postman said: "We are touching 850 letterboxes with no protection. Coronavirus is spoken about like a nuisance at my office. It's not too much to ask to be equipped for the job," he added.
Postal workers told the BBC that they were 'exhausted' by the extra workload, delivering items like home gym kits and garden furniture, as well as junk or advertising mail.
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