THIS week PCS members at the Driving Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea took strike action for four days in response to management’s refusal to take their health and safety concerns seriously.
During the first Covid-19 lockdown, management adopted a cautious approach, ensuring attendance at the huge site that employs thousands of workers was kept to a minimum.
But by mid-2020, management — no doubt under departmental pressure from Transport Minister Grant Shapps — had bought into the Tory government’s mantra that everything would soon be back to normal and a rapid escalation of returning staff to the workplace began.
The number of Covid-19 cases dramatically increased, until there were over 600 positive cases — the highest number in any UK workplace — alongside a tragic and avoidable fatality.