Liverpool lockdown update

PCS concerns over local lockdown

PCS recently set out demands to the Home Office to change work plans to protect staff safety in light of new coronavirus lockdown. The department’s response clearly has not gone far enough, opting to only roll back some tentative phase 3 plans, many of which were not in full operation anyway, leaving many members to ask “what has changed?”

While the department have agreed that the basis for workplace attendance must be that it is to complete work that can only be done in the office, they also take the view that there is to be no slowing down of this work or moving back to critical work-only as in March. So, those doing work that is paper-based will still be expected to attend their workplaces on a regular basis.

CEV & CV

While those who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) are exempt from attending workplaces and will either be given work that can be done at home or be placed on paid special leave, those shielding clinically extremely vulnerable family members and those who are themselves "only" clinically vulnerable (CV) are still being told to go into the office if their job cannot be done from home.

School Places

The department has launched a fire sale of critical worker letters and have grandly announced that we are all critical workers (for the purposes of getting a school place). Following this, when a school place cannot be obtained, and this is often the case, there is a much greater emphasis on members to use annual leave and/or flexitime before consideration will be given to another period of special leave (particularly if the special leave is for more than 5 days).

PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch reps for European Casework, Refused Case Management, Nationality, Foreign National Offenders Returns Command (formerly Criminal Casework) and Asylum have now written to the respective Heads of Unit requesting:

• Details of what reviews of work are currently being performed in the workplace to help reduce the number of staff in the workplace.

• An explanation of why business as usual work is continuing and business areas are not returning to critical work-only as was the case in the March/April national lockdown.

• Confirmation that nobody identified in phases 2 - 4 of the Home Office RTW will be attending the office during this lockdown.

• Assurances that efforts are being made to provide work for clinically vulnerable staff members and those living with clinically extremely vulnerable family members that can be completed at home to reduce the risk to health in what is now the worst period in the UK’s COVID-19 crisis.

• Details of any additional measures being taken to safeguard staff and customers during this time due to the more infectious COVID-19 strain.

Branch Officers will review the responses and provide an update to members via another update on this website in due course.

"We are meant to stay at home"

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said in her press conference yesterday (12 January) that "The rules are actually very simple and clear. We are meant to stay at home and only leave home for a very, very limited number of reasons and that is obviously to go to work only if you cannot work from home." Numbers of reported COVID-19 cases in the Liverpool estate are once again on the rise. So, if you are expected to go into your workplace but believe that all or a significant part of your job can be done from home and your manager disagrees click here to let us have details.