Half of British non-essential workers forced to go to work in lockdown

Six weeks after British prime minister Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown, many workers in non-essential jobs across many sectors of the economy were nonetheless being forced to continue working in potentially dangerous situations such as call centres, offices, factories, warehouses, and English construction sites as cleaners, security guards, warehouse workers, and office staff. It was left up to their bosses to decide whether or not they could work from home. The government's own statistics showed that only 49% of those still working were doing so from home. Few of these employees are in a position to exercise their rights to refuse to attend their workplace for reasons of health and safety. Within England, the government has not introduced sanctions for employers who do not enable social distancing within the workplace.

Source: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/dont-buy-the-lockdown-lie-this-is-a-government-of-business-as-usual/
Writer: Caroline Molloy
Publication: OpenDemocracy