A Catholic organisation that supports working people has said that it is too soon to safely send people back to work.
Kevin Flanagan, Director of St Antony’s Centre for Church and Industry in Manchester, told The Tablet: “Health and safety measures are not sufficient at the moment to give people confidence in returning to work after lockdown.”
He cited in particular the health and safety of teachers if schools reopen in early June, and wondered where there was adequate testing for the virus, risk assessment, or guidance for teachers on infection control or using personal protection equipment.
“Safe working practices are of great concern to us,” he said, noting trade union advice to keep schools closed until "it is demonstrably safe" for them to reopen. He warned that in some of its pronouncements, “the Government does not seem to be rooted in realities on the ground”.
St Anthony’s is an accredited training provider with centres in Accrington, Manchester, Oldham, Liverpool, Preston and Runcorn, that offers support to people in work, out of work or looking for work.
Mr Flanagan said that people face significant changes to their working lives, which could include redundancy, reduced hours, or being asked to work from home.
“Reduction in furlough payments is leading to anxiety. There is a storm brewing, with us likely to see deep recession and huge redundancies. I’m sure the world of work will change radically,” he warned.
Mental health issues are already surfacing, he said, and noted that St Antony’s is helping people with high anxiety levels among people having to reapply for work, being pushed into more homeworking, or concerned about health and safety in the workplace.
Mr Flanagan also worried that the Church lacks a mechanism to hear the stories of people in local communities, and lamented that the Bishops’ Conference no longer has a World of Work Committee within its structure.