COVID-19 & Equality Issues
Supporting members
A message for Home Office PCS members about the equality aspects of dealing with COVID-19 and the Equality team’s position supporting all members on equality matters.
Background
The arrival of COVID-19 in our day to day life and our working environment has changed the world we were familiar with for all of us. It has brought to light and forced us to focus on vulnerabilities in many areas of our daily routine. It has brought to the fore significant frailties for some staff and these have been clearly outlined in the PHE (Public Health England) Disparities report.
This report included findings around the increased vulnerability to COVID-19 and level of serious outcomes from COVID-19 in relation to staff within the following categories:
- Staff within a variety of BAME nationalities and backgrounds
- Staff suffering from a variety of serious underlying medical conditions
- Staff identified as extremely clinically vulnerable or clinically vulnerable
- Male staff sitting within an older age group
- Staff identified as clinically obese
- Staff suffering from levels of disability
These findings enabled PCS to engage with the HO around putting arrangements in place to adequately protect and support staff falling into these vulnerable categories.
What action did PCS take?
PCS nationally developed the 5 steps to safer working guide.
Within the Home Office PCS continued to have close & regular engagement with the employer around all aspects of Health & Safety and Equality in relation to appropriate COVID-19 arrangements being implemented for its staff. The findings of the PHE Disparities report allowed PCS to press relentlessly for recognition of the need for individual arrangements to be made available and applied to the return to work process for vulnerable staff and for guidance for their line managers.
We kept this pressure up successfully seeing the introduction of CIRI (Covid Individual Risk Indicator) and required Return to Work discussions for those staff/our members falling within the categories of heightened vulnerability. Conversations based on CIRI requirements must be held by line managers with all employees who sit within the ‘vulnerable’ designation to enable their concerns to be adequately addressed and to allow appropriate supportive arrangements to be put in place. Here are links to the CIRI process, advice for line managers and CIRI FAQ’s (accessible via Home Office systems):
We have also kept focus in our discussions with the employer around differences in rules identified by arrangements within the Devolved Administrations in comparison to working arrangements applicable only within England.
The PCS Home Office position on equality
While PCS recognises how important it is to adequately support our most vulnerable members we also recognise it is equally important to give appropriate and effective support to every PCS member who requires support.
To be truly inclusive we need to expose and break down equality barriers and involve all members in this mission.
PCS advice
We understand from personal experience how difficult current circumstances are for many members and that they will rely on support and advice from their local and national Trade Union reps.
We do need feedback from members to know what’s wrong and where it’s wrong in order to attempt to resolve specific problems.
If you need Equality advice around COVID-19 or any other issue please speak to a rep within your branch or contact PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch here. If neither of these is possible please contact the PCS Home Office Group Executive Equality team members below.