Socialist Party Wales Socialism In Wales
Council workers refute Welsh government claims that test and track is ready
The Carmarthenshire Unison branch has refuted claims by the Welsh Government’s that its Track and Trace scheme is in place. In its health and safety bulletin it points out that “In Carmarthenshire they have only just appointed the Infection Control Manager who will manage this service- they have not appointed any of the 100 or so contact tracers and contact advisors yet.”
“Without testing, if the schools were reopened this would risk the second upsurge of infections that would put the NHS in Wales under huge pressure and risk losing many lives and further lockdown.”
Extracts from the Carmarthenshire Unison bulletin can be read below:
“Most people in Wales will not be particularly surprised that only minor tweaks to lockdown were announced by Mark Drakeford First Minister on Friday 29th May.
“This more cautious approach of the Labour Welsh Government compared to the Tories while seen as necessary by the most working-class and middle-class people (particularly in relation to keeping schools shut for now) may be less welcomed due to the hardships of lockdown.
“Of course, while most have followed the rules of lockdown not everyone has.
“We have pointed out in these bulletins not to believe the Tories when they claim we are all in this together.
“If you are working-class, black and or living in deprivation you are more likely to die from COVID 19 than the rich.
“The reasons for the Welsh Government (WG) decision to be more cautious in regard to lifting restrictions however are not all based on the science and concern for your health as claimed by WG.
“The rate of infection is still dangerously high in Wales (R is between 0.7 and 0.9).
“As we have stated in previous bulletins the WG has been slow in getting testing, tracking and tracing into place.
“Without testing, if the schools were reopened this would risk the second upsurge of infections that would put the NHS in Wales under huge pressure and risk losing many lives and further lockdown.
“Mr. Drakeford told us on Friday tracking and tracing would be in place from the 1st June.
“But many of the local authorities in Wales are not ready to carry out these tasks.
“In Carmarthenshire they have only just appointed the Infection Control Manager who will manage this service- they have not appointed any of the 100 or so contact tracers and contact advisors yet.
“So how can we have tracking and tracing in place on June 1st.?
“The WG is also way off where they should be in testing.
“If you get tested by Hywel Dda Carmarthenshire it is taking 3-5 days to get the result.
“How many other people could be infected in that time?
“The results of testing need to be far quicker and the scale of testing needs to be far greater.
“If testing, tracking, and tracing are to work and they need to work before schools reopen test results for COVID 19 need to take 24 hours or less not 3 to 5 days.
“Due to pressure from Big Business, the Tories are attempting to reopen schools from today 1st June but this is despite serious reservations of the British Medical Association and four of the government’s own science advisory group SAGE who have broken ranks to express worries about the safety at wider primary school opening today.
“UNISON and the Education unions have opposed and campaigned against the further opening of schools and it remains to be seen how many schools will reopen or stay open and how many parents will allow their children to return.
“We have to raise a concern here that UNISON’s official lay member bodies (where decisions are made) are not meeting and therefore lay members are not making the decisions Full-Time unelected official are.
“Our Branch will continue to call for lay member official bodies to meet so we can decide the stance of UNISON.
“Kirsty Williams Minister for Education and the Labour WG while more cautious are clearly under pressure from big business.
“Kirsty Williams proposed to the Unions some options two of which involved a return for some pupils at the end of June.
“Our Branch stance is clear that there needs to be a national agreement with the trade unions and WG that safeguards members and pupils safety before schools return.
“At the present, given the above, we think it would be irresponsibly dangerous for schools to reopen before September.
“The Tories have called for schools to reopen without their tests being met, this risks an upsurge of infections that some experts say will be worse than the first wave.
“The infection rate is still dangerously high (8,000 a day in England and Wales) and hundreds a week are still dying- it seems that this an acceptable loss of life for a government that wants big business generating profits again.
“Trade unions in Wales need to be united in opposing any premature and dangerous reopening/increasing pupil numbers in schools.”
