Solihull council slammed for ‘forcing’ staff to work

The GMB union has slammed Solihull Council and private contractor Amey after it said they are forcing non-essential workers to continue working in the community despite official Government advice to stay at home.

The union claims that Chris Barr, head of public realm at Solihull Council, told a GMB officer that forcing workers to work during the lockdown gives “a perception of safety”.

The news comes just days after a photo emerged on social media showing a worker in Solihull cutting the grass beneath a road sign reading ‘STAY HOME ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ONLY’.

Neighbouring councils of Birmingham, Sandwell and Telford & Wrekin have all taken the decision to suspend non-essential grounds maintenance work, says the GMB.

Michelle Harris, GMB organiser, said: “While most of managers are working from home, Solihull Council are forcing some of their lowest-paid workers out on the streets to cut grass, trim hedges and blow leaves.

“There is little PPE and few social distancing measures have been put in place. It’s needlessly putting workers’ lives, and the lives of their families, at risk.

“Does Solihull Council really value the groundskeeping over the lives of its groundskeepers?”

“The heroes in our health service need local government to do everything they can to help stop the spread of Coronavirus. Solihull Council is sitting on its hands when we need them most.

“We’ve made it clear that our ground maintenance workers need to be either moved to key work, where good practices are in place, or furloughed immediately. We will not tolerate our members’ health being put at unnecessary risk because the council failed to act in a global pandemic.”

A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “We understand that people may be concerned about the continuation of some services in public areas such as grounds maintenance and grass cutting. We would like to reassure residents that we are operating a reduced service and while doing so, insisting our contractors follow the appropriate government guidelines regarding keeping their staff members safe. We are keeping this situation under regular review with our contractors.

“We are proud of the appearance of our borough and it is important that we try to keep our public spaces clean, tidy and presentable for all our communities and our local environment.

“The presence of these workers also helps to promote a feeling of community safety at a very uncertain time for all. They can also play an important part in being on the lookout for vulnerable people in our borough, who need help the most.”

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