Being told to continue non-essential manufacture job

Joshuaclay · 23 March 2020 at 11:04PM

Boris Johnson’s announcement today seemed to indicate, to me at least, that all non-essential works should halt, gatherings of more than 2 people etc. I work in a furniture workshop in London but despite the new measures my employers are saying that as we are not a customer facing business (manufacturing) we do not have to close down. Rather than taking public transport they’ve decided they’ll collect all the employees in the morning and cram them into a small car in close proximity with one another. My girlfriend is a carer for an elderly woman and I really worry about spreading the virus to her. I just wanted to know in the face of the recent updates whether my employers are doing anything unscrupulous or where us employees would stand if we refused to return to work for the foreseeable. Thanks very much.

7Phil · 23 March 2020 at 11:51PM

It's not really clear about whether non-shop businesses should also close down, but I assumed it was only talking about shop businesses. It doesn't seem to talk about gatherings also including work groups versus gatherings in the public spaces.
It did say that you can leave home if you are not able to work at home so that implies people can still go to work (but then also not by public transport unless they are key workers).
I think that employer attitudes will change soon as social opinion changes and the business realises it cannot continue operating as staff become unavailable. But, that may also mean the business will cease trading which could be even worse for you...?

Joshuaclay · 24 March 2020 at 12:14AM

Thanks for your reply. I think that the business is in a secure enough position to survive this situation for a few months (shutdown), especially with access to the small business grant they’d be eligible for. It just really makes you question the employers’ priorities, hopefully non-essential work will soon be told to cease nationwide.

onwards&upwards · 24 March 2020 at 12:43AM

You should be shutting really, it was very clear that you should only be going to work if it’s essential AND can’t be done from home. Not either/or.

Are you in a union?

justwhat · 24 March 2020 at 8:00AM

NO. This all to stop gatherings. Manufacturing and distribution are not effected at all.
Manufacturing is very important not to shut down, it has a domino effect on other products and services.

justwhat · 24 March 2020 at 8:03AM

So far couriers / royal mail and the people that use these services are working today. eg. retail distribution etc
but not many customer facing shops.

onwards&upwards · 24 March 2020 at 8:29AM

justwhat said:

NO. This all to stop gatherings. Manufacturing and distribution are not effected at all.
Manufacturing is very important not to shut down, it has a domino effect on other products and services.

Furniture? Really? You think we should be putting furniture ahead of human life?

justwhat · 24 March 2020 at 4:34PM

no...but there can be instances were it can be manufactured and shipped under the current climate. What i think is does not matter. Argos / pcworld are still delivering.

justwhat · 24 March 2020 at 4:37PM

non essential public facing shops/businesses have been asked to close. Because people are unable to use common sense.

Jeremy535897 · 24 March 2020 at 4:44PM

It does seem odd that you can only go out once a day to walk your dog, but can go out to a customer to lay a patio, and get supplies from a builders' merchant along the way. I think it's just in the "too complicated to do" category, as the list of manufacturing exceptions would be complex and unworkable. At least most people can understand "only leave your house for a walk once a day".

[Deleted User] · 24 March 2020 at 4:48PM

Don’t know I saw our town’s pawn shop opening at 8am and it’s been quite head banging and relentless to keep getting a large proportion of calls saying something like ‘ohh you are still there’ then it’s ‘I bet you must be quiet’!!! 🤪