Government breaks its own laws to put the lives of DVLA workers at risk

Civil servants are scared to work at the DVLA contact centre in Swansea where 500 workers have contracted coronavirus since the pandemic began. They have reported that close contacts of people testing positive are not always sent home to self-isolate, social-distancing is not being followed and homeworking is not always possible because of out of date IT systems.

Many managers are trying to bend the rules and regulations telling workers that they don’t need their track and trace app on. So if workers are off with Covid, the people who have not had their app on have not been sent home.

And it is difficult for workers to adhere to the two metre distancing rule because of the way the office is laid out – scandalously some staff have had to resign their jobs rather than put their lives at risk at the complexes.

Sadly such stories are not uncommon in workplaces across Wales but this employer is the same government that has tried to blame the actions of ordinary people for the spread of the virus, because they have not maintained social distancing and safety measures.

Police have been fining people who have gathered at socially-distanced picket lines and protests but no action has been taken against these large employers who have been endangering their workforce. DVLA workers are being forced to spend hours working indoors within a metre of other workers, but can be fined if they safely protest outside at these conditions!

Dave Warren, former secretary of PCS DVLA Swansea, explained how management attacks on workers rights at the DVLA office has contributed to the pandemic spreading through the workforce.

“I have not been surprised by recent media reports of 100s of COVID cases at the Agency.

“This is a massive Government complex spread over two main sites in Swansea employing around 5,000 people. While many are working from home, most of those in the lower grades are having to attend work because outdated IT systems cannot be adapted for homeworking. Attending work involves using buses in many cases.

“As in any large office building, everyone knows how easily even ordinary viruses like the cold can spread, but COVID puts a new and deadly slant on an old problem.

“The overriding ethos of DVLA is to maintain output and productivity and their attitude towards everything else including health and safety is coloured by this. Sick absence is punished in the same way as misconduct, with formal warnings and dismissal.

“In the first lock-down last summer, the chief executive told staff in a circular that they were key workers and should attend work. But when workers then attempted to place their children in schools they were told they were not recognised as key workers and the schools could not accept their children. A week or so later HR sent out a circular explaining that they were still working on a list of the key workers who would be required to attend work. Eventually, some workers were allowed to stay home on full pay, but in the current lockdown these same workers are now being forced to attend work.

“The safety of workers cannot be trusted to DVLA or any other Government Department or Agency.

“PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka says he has intervened with Ministers regarding DVLA, but more is needed. PCS must give a lead now and take collective action to get workers out of an unsafe environment.”