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Trade union Usdaw calls for retail workers to be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination


By Jonathan Clark

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TRADE union Usdaw has called for key retail workers to be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination.

Usdaw's renewed calls for supermarket staff, and other key retail workers, to be prioritised comes after the UK Government accepted occupation is a factor when looking at priority for the second phase of the vaccine rollout.

The retail trade union, the UK's fifth biggest with more than 400,000 members, has made the same call to the Scottish Government.

It comes after an increased number of cases at supermarkets across the country, including a number at Tesco in Elgin.

Forres Tesco. ..Picture: Daniel Forsyth..
Forres Tesco. ..Picture: Daniel Forsyth..

Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said: “It is understandable to prioritise those at highest risk of serious illness or death during the first phase of rollout, along with frontline health workers, including our members in the funeral industry.

"There is an urgent need to prioritise other occupations at greatest risk of infection during the second phase of the rollout.

"According to the Government’s own research, retail is an occupation with an elevated Covid-19 related death rate. Close proximity to the public as well as the indoor working environment are factors.

“Retail workers, including grocery delivery drivers, have played a key role in ensuring the country is able to get through the current crisis.

"These critical workers have played a vital role in our communities ensuring that food remains on the shelves. From our conversations with employers, we are aware that the sector is currently suffering from incredibly high sickness absence rates as a result of Covid-19.

“So the second phase of the vaccine rollout must reflect the risks linked to occupation. Given the risks involved in their public-facing roles, retail workers should be one of the groups prioritised, so they are able to continue to support their communities throughout the rest of the pandemic.

“We also want other key workers in essential industries like food manufacturing and pharmaceutical distribution to be on the list of prioritisation.

"They cannot work from home and are at higher risk of infection because of the essential work they do.

“We welcome the early indications that high risk occupations may be prioritised."



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