Five years on from the pandemic – the workers who kept us going and the fight they still face

There are moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. For millions of people across our country, that was five years ago today, Sunday 23 March (writes TUC’s Natahn Oswin).

‘From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home’ – Prime Minister Boris Johnson

The essential workers who kept the country running

‘From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home’ – Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

But for many this simply wasn’t possible – due to their jobs being so essential to the country they were declared key workers and kept going into work, risking their lives and livelihoods to keep our society running.

They were the people we stood outside our doorsteps for every Thursday, clapping, banging pots and generally attempting to show our appreciation for what they kept on facing.

Honoring the NHS and social care heroes

It wasn’t just nurses and doctors, it was physios and cleaners in our hospitals, porters and midwives. So many NHS staff faced unimaginable scenarios and kept going, as best they could, to save as many lives as possible.

Meanwhile, social care – a workforce often underappreciated, grappling with zero hour contracts and minimum wages – battled to stem the tide and protect vulnerable residents from the virus, now labelled Covid-19.

The hidden struggles of key workers during Covid-19

Transport workers continued to make our national infrastructure run and many lost their lives ensuring NHS workers and social care staff could make it into their workplace.

Education staff tried their utmost to look after children and protect them whilst facing off against a government who simply did not care about their welfare, with Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson rejecting calls for masks in schools because they were in “no surrender mode” towards trade unions.

Food manufacturing workers, textiles workers, retail staff, refuse collectors, fire staff, police staff, civil servants and many, many more played a vital role.

Many watched as colleagues lost their lives to the pandemic.

The emotional and mental health impact of the Pandemic

The consequences for many have been severe.  

I vividly remember a friend who served in our NHS during the pandemic breaking down in tears during a remembrance service, “I hadn’t realised how little I had processed it all” she said.

For many the emotional scars of the trauma they experienced as key workers will last a lifetime, the mental health impact is hard to calculate and the continuing effects of Long Covid are devastating for millions of people.

They knowingly marched into danger, often terrified, but with heads held high to tackle the biggest crisis our country, and the world, has faced since World War II.

It is a debt we can never truly repay, but that does not mean we should not try.

Why we must improve workers’ rights and protections

A decent level of statutory sick pay from day one, banning exploitative zero hour contracts and tackling the scourge of poverty pay would ensure that a future pandemic could not thrive when people are faced with the impossible choice of going into work ill or being able to feed their families, boosting our national resilience.

The dangers of underfunding public services

The pandemic was a stark reminder of how crucial public services are, revealing the dangers of underinvestment – the UK went into the pandemic unprepared and our public services were under-resourced.

Lessons from the pandemic: the need for insourcing

Recognising the risks of outsourcing is another key lesson which this government is already getting to grips with. A fragmented social care system failed thousands of care recipients and care workers.

Insourcing public services like social care will rebuild the state and allow resources to be redirected to frontline delivery, rather than corporate profits.

Join the fight for justice: share your Covid-19 experience

Long Covid should be recognised as an industrial disease.

It’s for all these reasons above the TUC are involved in the Covid-19 Public Inquiry, to stand up for working people and ensure their voices are heard.

But we need your help to make this happen.

We want to hear about your experiences of the pandemic to make sure the Inquiry knows the challenges working people faced and hope you will fill in our survey to make sure the Inquiry hears your voice.