Trade union slams government over removing face mask restrictions inside shops

“Flip-flopping” by the government on face masks inside shops risks confusion and conflict, a shop workers union said on Wednesday (19) after prime minister Boris Johnson announced that most restrictions deployed to fight the latest wave of the Covid pandemic in England would be lifted from next week.

People will no longer have to wear masks in closed spaces, work from home and prove vaccination to enter public spaces such as nightclubs, Johnson told parliament.

Reacting to the announcement, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers  (Usdaw)- the UK’s fifth biggest trade union with over 360,000 members- expressed deep disappointment that the government will end the mandatory wearing of face covering in shops in England next week.

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says, “We are deeply concerned that the decision to again end mandatory face coverings in shops is more to do with saving the Prime Minister’s job than covid safety. They have been throwing ‘red meat’ to Tory backbenchers all week, trying to shore up support for the PM, and this is their latest attempt.

“It beggars belief that the government chose to dismiss the concerns of our members and many workers who are desperately worried about restrictions being lifted while case numbers remain high. We understand that the Government has to scale back ‘Plan B’, but surely this should be done in a more measured and gradual manner.

Lillis added that the government could have eased existing restrictions while maintaining safety measures in businesses that have been open throughout the pandemic, like supermarkets. Face coverings, hand hygiene and social distancing had pretty much become the norm in retail, but constantly changing the rules is unhelpful, she said.

“The Government has again decided that important safety measures to protect staff and customers are now a matter of personal choice. They have subcontracted responsibility for safety out to the public, which is a recipe for confusion and covid. Protection for retail workers through wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing in busy public areas like shops should be backed up by the law.

Lillis urged the public to show their support and respect for shopworkers by continuing to wear a face covering, observe hand hygiene and maintain social distancing when in store.