The information below was sent out as an email to all members on 30th March 2020.

Dear UNISON Member,

This is our first member update of this week.

Based on the types of contact we are receiving from members, the areas I want to focus on today are shielded status, homeworking, job retention (furlough) and where we are up to with regards to social care.

Before we get into that though, I just want to say that if you work for Salford City Council, information will come out tomorrow on Annual Leave and Homeworking, as part of the daily briefings.

Shielded Status

If you are in the following situation, please contact us immediately, if you have not already done so:

•    You or somebody you live with and must have contact with has received a letter instructing you/them to shield for 12 weeks; and
•    You cannot work from home; and
•    You cannot do your job and engage in social distancing; and
•    Your employer has told you that you will not receive full pay if you do not come into work.

We are committed to doing everything we can to make sure that our members are not out of pocket from following Government advice or instruction.

Homeworking

We are hearing some really good examples of employers working flexibly to support home working, but we are also hearing some bad ones.

If you are in a situation where you feel unreasonable expectations are being placed on you, please speak to your rep, or to us, so that we can try to deal with them.

Job Retention/Furlough

UNISON has posted some information on the main website, offering further information and guidance on the Job Retention/Furlough scheme.

To access it, go to https://www.unison.org.uk/coronavirus-rights-work/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-qa/

Social Care

Our social care concerns, which have been previously documented, have been escalated to the City Mayor, who has now agreed to look into finding a resolution personally.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, if you don’t have a rep in your workplace, please look to elect one. It makes a huge difference.

Thanks, Steve