The second installment of our exclusive series sees the anonymous worker used to plug a labour shortage after the factory is hit by an outbreak of Covid-19. But despite his best efforts, he is given no PPE and pays a heavy price with his health and income.
“Working in a factory during Covid has shown me first-hand how little prepared the government and the food Industry was for a viral pandemic and how cheap working class and migrant lives are to the Capitalist system.”
It is late March and lockdown is in place. I begin work in the cleaning team in one section of the factory that is responsible for cleaning during production, when workers on the production line are on break and after they’ve finished. It’s relentless.
In fairness, the factory has adopted some good general actions and social distancing measures. For example: announcements have been put up inside and outside the factory in different languages warning of the novel Coronavirus, how it spreads and key symptoms; announcements (again in multiple languages) have been put up encouraging good hygiene; tables have been removed from the canteen and chairs limited; markers have been put on the floor for queuing and a two way system introduced in corridors; two big tents have been placed outside to prevent overcrowding in the canteen; different sections of the factory have now been allocated different break times to prevent the canteen becoming impossible to social distance in; barriers have been put up on the production line to separate workers. It seems impressive. But if only the factory took such a competent approach to PPE. Perhaps it was cost? Perhaps there was a shortage? But surely there should be contingency planning and stores of PPE at a food factory in case of a pandemic? Obviously not.
I worked from the end of March until early May in standard PPE which included a workwear overall and hair net. No face masks or face visors were provided or compulsory. I am not an epidemiologist and perhaps during lockdown, when the virus is being suppressed, it was safe for a lack of PPE however the localised outbreak that proceeded as soon as society started to reopen proves PPE should have already been provided and in constant use. This localised outbreak in the factory was going to infect a substantial number of workers, including the writer of this article.
The time is early May. Due to the nature of zero hour contracts and agency work, despite my consistent hard work and never missing a shift throughout the lockdown, suddenly one day in the middle of the week the supervisor informed me there were too many workers on site and I was to leave.
This was after getting there for the 8am shift and working two hours. Consequently, I would not work for a further three weeks and heard nothing from the agency until a call at the end of May. I return to the factory and work for one week in a different department; still no face masks or face visors are worn despite rumours that several workers had been off sick and had subsequently tested positive for Coronavirus. Similarly, one day on the second week I get told the same dreaded line: “there are too many workers on site, leave.” I have no work for two weeks but in the middle of June I again get a call from the agency asking me to work.
I return and there is a dramatic transformation with PPE; finally workers walk around in facemasks and face visors. The previous rumours had been true and apparently even more workers had been off sick and tested positive for Coronavirus. I ask for my PPE. I get told it will come soon. The same question and answer goes on for days with different supervisors in different departments because I am moved around daily to plug various labour gaps. I consider walking out but I am worried about my finances (after working on and off for weeks) and due to the insecure nature of the work, being labelled a “troublesome worker” and never getting a phone call from the agency again.
I work for two weeks without proper PPE. It is Tuesday 24th June 2020. I feel overly tired in work and a little dehydrated. There is news that there are outbreaks in factories across Wales and figures of diagnosed workers at our factory are released. I feel anxious. I leave the factory and my eyes are red, sore and painful to open. I cannot open my eyes fully for a scary five minutes. Instinctively, I order a Coronavirus test from the UK government website despite not having the traditional symptoms but due to my strong suspicions. My suspicions are proved correct; I test positive for Covid-19 on 26th June 2020.
Thankfully, apart from loss of taste and smell, I have recovered fully from this terrible disease. However, I felt compelled to write this piece because I am deeply concerned on two counts: one, another worker may not be as lucky as me and two, the government and factories need to competently prepare for a second wave. Therefore, I want to now briefly outline what I think can be done to prevent a future localised outbreak.
Unacceptably, I have read factory officials and the government attempt to divert blame onto workers. For example, they have suggested workers failed to social distance and continued to share car rides; failed to wear PPE; and some worked regardless of knowingly having Covid-19 symptoms. Whereas some of these claims may be true it does not and should not absolve the factory nor the government of responsibilities or blame; such social behaviours need deeper understanding especially from a Leftist perspective.
Specifically, I argue these behaviours can be changed if economic conditions are modified. But, firstly the most obvious recommendation which is squarely the responsibility of the factory: there needs to be a constant supply and stockpile of full PPE at factories and it has to be mandatory to be worn at all times. This needs to be demanded by trade unions and legislated by government. You cannot blame workers like me for failing to wear the PPE when we are not issued any!
Scientific evidence clearly shows transmission of the virus can be reduced by: proper social distancing; face masks; face visors; consistent hand washing and people not touching their face. If, like before, only certain measures are in place doubtlessly as society opens up and people interact more especially indoors during the winter, the virus will creep back into the factory, thrive in its optimum environment and eventually cause another localised outbreak.
Secondly, I recommend regular mass testing of the whole factory workforce. Again, I am surprised it took a localised outbreak for this to happen and once again shows lack of planning or preparedness for a pandemic. Importantly, this will allow infected people like myself who did not have a fever (worker’s temperatures are rightly taken with a laser thermometer before we enter the site) or who are asymptomatic to be found before the virus takes hold. But, it is fundamental here to note this offers the company an easy get out of trouble card.
To be clear, I fully support mass regular testing but this must be backed up with economic measures that protect workers. For example, because I caught Covid, I missed out on two weeks of full pay. Instead, I was paid measly £198 of statutory sick pay. In addition, I have a second cash in hand job (simply because I cannot survive on the minimum wage factory job) which I work on the weekends which I could not attend and as a result missed out on these wages.
But I did not display typical symptoms; I never displayed a fever and I could easily have bypassed the temperature reading at the entrance and continued to work throughout my illness. I chose not to work because I deeply care about others and I did not want to spread this awful virus further. However, on the other hand, I know from experience first-hand poverty and hardship and I understand why, if some workers have mild symptoms (or also none), they would choose to work through it. Irresponsible? Arguably yes but is it not also irresponsible we have created an economy and society where workers need to do this and are punished for simply being sick?
Again I am shocked there has been no thought to how workers can be protected economically. But, on reflection, I am being naive; the Conservative Party is highly class conscious and arguably could not care less about worker’s pay or quality of life.
Regardless, I propose progressive economic measures to protect workers if they are sick; to take away financial pressure during this pandemic and accordingly reward them for their tireless hard work that allows the food industry to function. Hence, finally, I suggest: wage increases; free public transport for key workers; potential rent breaks and full pay if someone tests positive for the virus. Another example of a financial loss I suffered was on the Monday before I fell sick I paid £28.00 for a South Wales Network Weekly Rider bus ticket so I could get to work. I used it for two days before I had to self-isolate, which meant I had lost money just because I contracted a highly contagious virus during an outbreak. I subsequently called Stagecoach and requested a refund stating the extenuating circumstances. But this was simply dismissed by the company. As a result, as you can imagine, I felt and still feel very undervalued despite being a “key worker”.
Ultimately, food factory workers must be fully protected physically and economically in preparation for and during a localised outbreak and their lives and labour fully valued by society.
