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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Coronavirus news articles only.This is an open forum.
Janet Brum
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by Janet Brum »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern- ... t-54612563" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Image
The Communications Workers' Union said it was highly unlikely any mail will be delivered in the city on Tuesday


Royal Mail staff in Londonderry have refused to enter the city's sorting office until a deep clean of the premises is carried out.



More than 40 staff - a third of its 120-strong workforce - are off work because of Covid-19, the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said.

The union said 17 staff at the office have tested positive, with 13 of those having been diagnosed since Friday.

A further 25 members of staff are self-isolating, it added.


The CWU's Charlie Kelly said it is a "scary time for staff".


He said it is "highly unlikely" there will be a postal service in the city on Tuesday.

"Staff want a commitment as to when it (the deep clean) is going to get done," he said.



Rise in cases

"Until we get that commitment they say they are not going back into the building because they feel their health and safety is under threat."

Staff and management are due to hold talks later on Tuesday morning.

There has been a sharp rise of confirmed cases over recent weeks in Northern Ireland's north west region.

There have been 4,292 confirmed cases in the Derry and Strabane council area since March - 1,160 of them were diagnosed in the past seven days.

BBC News NI have asked Royal Mail for comment.

Royal Mail has previously warned postal services could be disrupted in some areas due to absences but that measures are in place to protect staff.
"As well as encouraging good hand hygiene, standard ways of working have been revised to ensure that colleagues maintain appropriate social distancing at all times," a spokesperson said.
Janet Brum
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by Janet Brum »

https://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/58533" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail should listen to concerns of staff – Anderson

Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson has said Royal Mail should listen to the concerns of staff and trade unions at the Derry sorting office over COVID-19.

The Foyle MLA said:
“Workers at the sorting office in Derry are very concerned about the potential for the spread of COVID after a number of staff tested positive in recent days.

“Management at Royal Mail should listen to and take on board the concerns of the workers and their trade union representatives.

“Postal workers play a key role in our society, particularly at a time like this and, like all workers, should be confident that they can go to work in a safe environment.”
Woody Guthrie
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by Woody Guthrie »

IMPORTANT & URGENT
20 October 2020
Martin Gafsen Director
Royal Mail Property Facilities Solutions Ltd.
Royal Mail Group

Ricky McAulay
Field Operations Director
Royal Mail

Dear Martin/Ricky,
Re: Derry DO - Major Coronavirus/Covid-19 Outbreak – Lack of Specialist Deep Clean
& Cleaning Standards of Premises and Fleet Vehicles:



I have within the last hour received a disturbing update in relation to a serious Covid-19 outbreak at Derry DO in Northern Ireland which needs urgent attention at your level due to localfailures so far to address the problem.Having spoken to my Area Health and Safety Representative for N.I. he hasn’t even been
contacted, consulted or involved!

I’m informed that Royal Mail staff in Londonderry have refused to enter the Delivery Office until a deep clean of the premises and the Van Fleet is carried out. More than 40 staff - a third of its 120-strong workforce - are off work because of Covid-19, 17 staff at the office have tested positive, with 13 of those having been diagnosed since Friday and further 25 members of staff are self-isolating.

It appears that local and area management were totally unprepared for such a situation to occur and the lack of a satisfactory response to the businesses legal responsibility under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees, the remainder of the workforce have been forced to remove themselves from the Office and in line with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 8, they have stopped work, due to the obvious serious and imminent danger, and they have proceeded to a place of safety, outside in the fresh air (social distancing also). The Employment Rights Act 1996 sections 44 and 100 also refers when in circumstances of danger and when employees reasonably believe it to be serious and imminent, they have left while the danger persists and await the removal of that danger by the thorough cleaning, sanitisation and disinfection of the Workplace by professional, accredited and equipped and trained cleaners.

With such a large proportion of the staff affected and numbers growing, the workforce, not surprisingly want a commitment to undertake a deep clean without delay.

Across the UK we are seeing circa 100 plus deaths and 19,000 new cases daily. Recently in there have been 4,300 confirmed cases in the Derry and Strabane council area since March - 1,200 of them diagnosed in the past seven days so it’s not a surprise at all that the workforce are concerned and rightly so.

Would you kindly get the Delivery Office and Van Fleet thoroughly Deep Cleaned and put in place improved regular cleaning going forward plus set up regular dialogue with Sean Doherty CWU ASR – ASAP – thank you.

I look forward to your response.
My Regards and Best Wishes.

Yours Sincerely

From Dave Joyce | National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Member TUC Union Health and Safety Specialists Committee
Only dead fish follow the current
cockneyrebel
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by cockneyrebel »

Derry Depot to big for the man and his mop and bucket !!
Currently company has over 20 clean jobs around the UK advertised ??
And to my knowledge-lot of the cleaners vistiting 2/3/4 depots just for an hour to cover the shortfall in cleaning staff
Not much those men and women can do in an hour is there ??
Take Health and Safety seriously ??
The above contradicts that somewhat does it not ??
I a rare beast in this company-i clean my van/one i get tevery week !!
i would estimate that well over 50% of entire company fleet never been cleaned, since the vehicle rolled off the production line ??
In current crisis, you would think a Company who really cared about depots/vans clean etc would have a full time clean in place, and paid a proper rate of pay also, as I understand reason we have so many cleaning vacancies is the pay and the hours ???
Every depot in the Uk creates a massive amount of waste paper/rubber bands/cardboard/plastic ties etc etc, no matter how hard some individuals try to keep their fitting and van clean
Even if just a year contract-you would think it would pay the Company to put in full time cleaners re Covid Crisis ?? and cut down the risks of losing staff to the Virus
But it would seem not !!!
aiden01
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by aiden01 »

Staff returning to work tomorrow.
cockneyrebel
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by cockneyrebel »

Well if they returning tomorrow Aiden
Must be a Bodger and Badger clean-not enough time to have done the building and the vans ??
Lot of depots seem to be getting cases of Covid, re the news on here
More than first time round which is interesting/alarming !!
aiden01
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by aiden01 »

cockneyrebel wrote:Well if they returning tomorrow Aiden
Must be a Bodger and Badger clean-not enough time to have done the building and the vans ??
Lot of depots seem to be getting cases of Covid, re the news on here
More than first time round which is interesting/alarming !!
Im only telling you what the cwu have said in derry so they must be happy with the deep clean..
wf
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Joined: 01 Nov 2009, 13:21
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by wf »

Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson has said Royal Mail should listen to the concerns of staff and trade unions at the Derry sorting office over COVID-19.

Yet she was more concerned about getting the post delivered in a previous article ,just below this !
guardianangel
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Coronavirus: Royal Mail's Derry staff in standoff over deep clean

Post by guardianangel »

Not surprised no social distancing in our office no wearing of masks and to top it all a worker has just returned a positive result but never isolated while waiting,now the managers are shitting themselves because they have had no precautions in place,hope they have a visit from the police they should be fined the worker and the company for total disregard for life.This is no joke