[ad_1]
Business lobbyists have warned that the prime minister’s U-turn to encourage office workers to return to their desks is “extraordinarily reactive and extraordinarily disruptive” and runs the risk of “derailing an already fragile recovery.”
The unions said Johnson should “monitor” his advice on workplace safety after the prime minister told office workers in England on Tuesday that they should work from home “if possible.”
The new work-from-home council comes just three weeks after the government urged businesses to bring millions of white-collar workers to their desks, in part to help revive inner-city economies.
Hours after Johnson announced the new restrictions, Barclays Bank announced that around 1,000 of its employees, who returned to office in recent weeks after the government’s previous campaign to “get Britain back to office”, now they would work from home again. Other large companies are expected to follow.
Adam Marshall, Managing Director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said of the latest change in guidance: “Businesses understand that more restrictions are needed to address the growing number of coronavirus cases, but these measures will affect the confidence of businesses and consumers. at a sensitive time for the economy, “said Marshall.
“Companies, their employees and customers need to see a clear roadmap for existing restrictions and those that may be introduced in the future. This should include transparent trigger points and clarity on the support available to protect jobs and livelihoods. “
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, CEO of the CBI, said the new measures would be a “devastating blow” for many companies. She said the U-turn on work from home “would keep our town and downtown under great economic pressure, just as people were starting to come back.”
He added: “Companies have done everything they can to make their workplaces Covid safe and are ready to welcome staff as soon as they are allowed.”
Roger Barker, director of policy for the business lobby group Institute of Directors (IoD), said the new restrictions on office work and the curfew in pubs and restaurants “would inevitably slow down the economic recovery.”
“The spread of the virus is not entirely predictable, but going to and from offices will cause frustration,” Barker said. “With the return of more restrictions, the responsibility falls squarely on the government to establish the next phase of its support.”
Johnson said he was “sorry [the new restrictions] it will hurt a lot of companies that just bounce back, “but he cautioned that” significantly higher restrictions “could be imposed if people don’t comply. He said the restrictions could be in effect for six months.
“We can only prevent it if our new measures work and our behavior changes,” he said.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, said: “With the increase in infections, the government must control testing, tracking and safety at work. Workers still tell us that employers don’t enforce social distancing or provide PPE to keep them safe. It is clear that this pandemic will not end at Christmas, so neither should state support for jobs. The prime minister says he will put his arms around the workforce. Let’s see him prove it. “
Mike Cherry, national president of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said: “We have already suffered six months of disruption related to this virus, and small businesses and the self-employed will be dismayed as they face another six months of restrictions.”
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned that the “very unfortunate” escalation of Covid-19 cases threatened the economic outlook and said the central bank was carefully looking at how it could further support the economy.
Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of London First, which represents businesses in the capital, said: “While public health should be the priority, discouraging people from returning to safe Covid workplaces risks derailing a recovery. already fragile “.
Sign up for the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk
Mixed messages
17 July Boris Johnson presented a plan for a substantial “return to normalcy.” He said the goal was to reopen the company and was giving employers discretion to ask workers to return to their offices as of August 1. To help with returning to work, the prime minister also ended the government’s advice not to use public transport.
August 28 The Daily Telegraph ran a front-page story with the headline: “Go back to work or risk losing your job.” The newspaper, for which Johnson wrote a weekly column until he became prime minister, said Downing Street was launching a “media blitz” of advertisements to “get Britain back into office.”
August 28 Grant Shapps, the transportation secretary, said: “We are telling people that it is now safe to return to work. […] now it’s safe to start coming back, that’s what we’re encouraging people to do, because even though you can do a lot of things through video, zoom, and everything else, there are limitations and there will be times when that’s not appropriate After harsh criticism from everywhere, the “Back to the Office” advertising campaign did not materialize.
one September Johnson told the Cabinet: “People are coming back to the office in large numbers all over our country and with good reason too.”
22 September The latest change in the council was confirmed before breakfast time by Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove. He told Sky News that people who could work from home would now be encouraged to do so once again. He called the council a “change of emphasis,” rather than a change of direction.
