Tag: TUC

BME workers bearing the brunt of coronavirus cuts

Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers are three times more likely than white workers to have lost working hours during the pandemic, according to a new TUC poll published on Friday.

The survey – carried out for the TUC by Britain Thinks – found that around 1 in 11 (9%) BME workers had their normal 35-48 hours a week cut back during the Covid-19 pandemic. Only 1 in 33 (3%) white workers said their working hours were reduced.

Nearly 1 in 8 (13%) BME workers told the TUC that their hours were cut without them requesting it in the last 12 months, compared to 1 in 11 (9%) of white workers. And 1 in 4 (25%) BME workers said they were now working between 1-24 hours a week, compared to 1 in 5 (20%) white workers.

The poll also found that:

  • Second jobs: BME workers were nearly twice as likely to say they’d had to take on more than one job in the last 12 months than white workers. Around 1 in 14 (7%) BME workers had more than one job during the past year, compared to just 1 in 25 (4%) white workers.
  • Pressure to go into work: 1 in 5 (20%) BME respondents told the TUC they were worried that if they did not go into their workplace this would impact negatively on their status at work, for example in terms of their job security or their chances of getting a pay rise. Around 1 in 7 (14%) white respondents shared this concern.

Previous TUC analysis revealed that the unemployment rate for BME workers has risen three times as fast as the unemployment rate for white workers during the pandemic.

The BME unemployment rate shot up from 6.3% to 8.9% between the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 41%. Over the same period the unemployment rate for white workers rose from 3.6% to 4.1%, an increase of 14%.

Around 1 in 11 (8.9%) BME workers are now unemployed, compared to 1 in 25 (4.1%) of white workers.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on the structural discrimination that has been hidden in our jobs market for too long.

“BME workers have shouldered the burden of the pandemic. They’ve faced the double whammy of being more likely to be working in industries that have been hit hardest by unemployment. And it’s now clear they’ve also have been more likely than white workers to lose hours – and therefore pay. Too many BME workers are having to take on second jobs now just to make ends meet.

“We know that BME workers are more likely to be in low-paid, insecure work with less employment rights. Through the pandemic, many have paid for this discrimination by losing hours, jobs and wages. Tragically, many more have paid with their lives.

“Enough is enough. Everyone deserves a decent job, with decent pay and with decent terms and conditions. Ministers must address this inequality once and for all and challenge the structural discrimination that holds BME workers back at every level of the labour market.”

Chair of the TUC anti-racism task force and NASUWT General Secretary Patrick Roach said: “This latest evidence comes on top of other data showing that Black workers are bearing the brunt of precarious employment, zero-hours contracts and employers using ‘fire and rehire’ to drive down wages.

“With rates of unemployment rising fastest amongst Black workers, we need to see urgent action from the Government to tackle these inequalities and secure a recovery that works for everyone.

“It will also be important that employers consider and are held to account for how their decisions are impacting on Black and White workers.”

The TUC is calling on government to:

  • Introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting and make employers publish action plans to ensure fair wages for BME workers in the workplace.
  • Ban zero-hours contracts and strengthen the rights of insecure workers – which will have a disproportionate impact on BME workers.
  • Publish all the equality impact assessments related to its response to Covid-19 and be transparent about how it considers BME communities in policy decisions.

Don’t pull the plug on economic recovery by cutting support too soon, warns TUC

  • New TUC analysis shows employment in hard-hit sectors is struggling to recover from the pandemic 
  • Government should delay hiking up business contributions while Covid restrictions are in place – and extend furlough for as long as necessary 
  • Many employers are using furlough flexibly to support a gradual return to business as usual, says TUC 

The TUC has warned ministers not to “pull the plug” on the UK’s economic recovery by cutting off support for businesses and workers too soon. 

The warning comes as new TUC analysis reveals that employment in hard-hit sectors is struggling to recover from the pandemic. 

The analysis shows that just 1 in 8 (110,000) of the 790,000 jobs lost across manufacturing, retail, hospitality and the arts during Covid have been recovered. 

By contrast, nearly all the jobs lost in business services and administration – which saw a 220,000 fall in employment – have been recovered. 

The union body says ministers must provide ongoing, targeted support for at-risk industries and halt plans to increase furlough contributions for employers while Covid restrictions remain in place. 

The analysis also reveals that 6 in 10 workers currently on furlough are working in manufacturing, retail, hospitality and the arts – sectors hit hard by the continuing restrictions. 

The TUC fears that if the job retention scheme is ended too abruptly tens of thousands of additional jobs could be lost from these industries. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Furlough has played a vital role in protecting jobs and keeping businesses running during this pandemic.  

“Ministers must not pull the plug on our recovery by cutting off support too soon. 

“The government should hold off hiking up employer contributions until all restrictions have been lifted. 

“And we need a cast-iron commitment from the chancellor that he will extend furlough for as long as is needed, rather than ending it abruptly in three months’ time.  

“Working families need this certainty now – not a rollercoaster approach to protecting livelihoods.” 

The TUC highlighted that workers can only be furloughed if their employers decides to use the scheme, meaning that the scheme is well-targeted only to those businesses that need it. 

They also note that around two-fifths of furloughed staff (41.6%) are now only furloughed for part of the working week and are working for the rest of it, enabling businesses to use furlough to manage their gradual return to full operations. 

A copy of the analysis can be found here: 

https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-06/Jobs%20and%20recover…

Joint call for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting

The TUC, CBI and Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) yesterday issued a joint call for the government to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. 

In a joint letter to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, the heads of the three organisations say: “Introducing mandatory pay reporting on ethnicity would transform our understanding of race inequality at work and most importantly, drive action to tackle it where we find it.” 

The letter – signed by TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady, CBI Director General Tony Danker and EHRC chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner – urges ministers to set out a clear timeframe for introducing ethnicity pay gap reporting to help “ethnic minorities reach their full potential in the workplace.” 

TUC General Secretary  Frances O’Grady  said:  “Everyone deserves the chance to thrive at work, and to have a decent, secure job they can build a life on. But the sad reality is that even today race still plays a significant role in determining people’s pay and career progression. 

“This problem isn’t going to magic itself away. Without robust and urgent action many BME workers will continue to be held back. 

“Unions stand ready to work with employers, regulators and government on practical steps to tackle inequality and discrimination in the workplace. 

“Mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting is an obvious first step in helping to improve transparency and bring about change. 

“We need ministers to commit to introducing ethnicity pay reporting now and to bring forward a clear timetable for getting it into law.” 

The full letter reads: 

Dear Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 

The case for mandatory ethnicity pay reporting 

We are writing to set out our shared priorities to the inter-ministerial group established to consider the recommendations of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. Respectively, we represent millions of workers, thousands of businesses, and enforce the Equality Act 2010 in Britain to ensure that people have equal access to and are treated fairly at work. 

We agree with the Commission’s statement that the report comes at a pivotal moment for the country, at a time when the inequalities facing ethnic minority people are under scrutiny. Outcomes at work are no exception. However we believe the report’s recommendations, in particular those related to pay disparities, could go further in order to effectively increase the participation and progression of ethnic minorities in the workplace and create a fairer Britain. 

Introducing mandatory pay reporting on ethnicity would transform our understanding of race inequality at work and most importantly, drive action to tackle it where we find it. This has been a longstanding goal for all of us. It will enable employers to identify, consider and address the particular barriers facing ethnic minorities in their workplace, and will complement and enhance the work many already do to address gender pay gaps under existing regulations. 

Together we’re asking the Government to make it mandatory for employers to report on their ethnicity pay gaps, building on the successful framework already in place for gender. Reporting, done well, can provide a real foundation to better understand and address the factors contributing to pay disparities. To further enable this, we also support the Commission’s recommendation that pay gap data should be supported by a narrative – comprised of key data, relevant findings and actions plans to address race inequalities. 

Some employers are already voluntarily reporting on their ethnicity data and taking action to address race inequality in their workplaces. While this is welcome and should continue to be supported in the interim, introducing mandatory ethnicity pay reporting will put greater focus on race at work, contribute to a greater number of employers reporting their ethnicity pay gap figures, and achieve the change across the labour market that is required. 

We urge Government to set out a clear timeframe to implement this and encourage you to work with us to develop the tools and resources required to ensure that employers are supported, and that workers are confident in disclosing data in advance of making reporting mandatory. 

In so doing, we firmly believe that this will help ethnic minorities reach their full potential in the workplace, make business more inclusive, and ensure Government has a rich source of robust evidence to inform future labour market and industrial strategies. 

Frances O’Grady, General Secretary, TUC 

Tony Danker, Director General, CBI 

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman, EHRC 

One in 12 key workers do not qualify for statutory sick pay

  • A third of key workers (33%) say they do not get full sick pay
  • A quarter of key workers (24%) say they get only £96pw statutory sick pay
  • Extending sick pay protection to all workers would cost the same as just 1% of the test and trace budget

New analysis published by the TUC shows that one in 12 key workers (788,000 people) do not qualify for statutory sick pay (SSP) – despite many of them being at greater risk from Covid-19 due to the frontline nature of their job.

The analysis uses the same definition of key worker as government. It finds that those excluded from SSP include more than a quarter of cleaners (27%) and retail workers (26%); nearly one in 10 teaching assistants (9%); and over one in 20 care workers (6%).

Additional figures from polling for the TUC by BritainThinks show that, for those who self-identify as key workers in the context of the Covid pandemic, a third (33%) report getting less than full sick pay (below their usual rate of pay); and a quarter (24%) report getting only the minimal protection of SSP at just £96 per week.

The TUC is calling for sick pay to be reformed so that:

  • The lower earnings limit rule is removed, allowing the lowest paid workers to qualify for statutory sick pay for the first time
  • The rate of SSP is raised to at least the level of the real living wage (£330 per week).

Research commissioned by the TUC from the Fabian Society shows that the cost of raising SSP to the equivalent of the real Living Wage for employers without an occupational sick pay scheme would be around £110 per employee per year – or just over £2 a week.

The research also shows that removing the lower earnings limit, which prevents those on low earnings from accessing statutory sick pay, would cost employers a maximum of £150m a year. And it would cost the government less than one per cent of the test and trace scheme to support employers with this cost.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Nobody should have to choose between going into work if they’re sick or should be self-isolating, or doing the right thing by staying home, but facing hardship as a result. But that’s the choice facing many key workers who kept the country going during the pandemic.

“Our key workers deserve the dignity, security and safety of proper sick pay and a decent pay rise too. They have earned it, often in frontline jobs with much greater risk of infection than those who could work from home.

“The cost of fixing the UK’s broken sick pay system is small compared to other public health measures like test and trace. Ministers must urgently make every worker eligible for statutory sick pay. And it should be worth at least as much as the real Living Wage.”

The Fabian Society report Statutory Sick Pay: Options for reform is available here:

 https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/SSPreport.pdf

TUC calls for long Covid to be recognised as a disability to prevent “massive” discrimination

The TUC has called for long Covid to be urgently recognised as a disability and Covid-19 as an occupational disease, to give workers access to legal protections and compensation.

The call comes as the TUC publishes an in-depth report on workers’ experiences of long Covid during the pandemic.

More than 3,500 workers responded to a TUC survey on the impact of long Covid on people’s daily working lives.

The survey reveals that, of those surveyed:

  • Nearly 3 in 10 (29 per cent) have experienced symptoms lasting longer than a year.
  • More than 9 in 10 (95 per cent) have been left with ongoing symptoms.
  • A clear majority had experienced side effects including brain fog (72 per cent), shortness of breath (70 per cent), difficulty concentrating (62 per cent) and memory problems (54 per cent).
  • Over half (52 per cent) had experienced some form of discrimination or disadvantage due to their condition.

The report highlights how frontline workers have been disproportionately affected by long Covid.

Over three-quarters (79 per cent) of those who responded to the TUC’s survey identify themselves as key workers, with the majority working in either education or health and social care.

More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of respondents were women. 

Long Covid in the workplace

The report reveals the extent of discrimination in the workplace towards those with long Covid.

Over half (52 per cent) of respondents said they had experienced some form of discrimination or disadvantage due to their condition.

Workers told the TUC how they were faced with disbelief and suspicion when they disclosed their symptoms:

  • Around a fifth (19 per cent) said their employer had questioned the impact of their symptoms.
  • One in eight (13 per cent) faced questions from their employer about whether they had long Covid at all.
  • One in 20 respondents (5 per cent) said they had been forced out of their jobs altogether because they had long Covid. 

Respondents described the difficulties that they faced trying to work while experiencing a range of long Covid symptoms.

One person – who contracted Covid-19 at work – said that when their employer went ahead with an international event in the first wave of the pandemic: “I was still expected to work long hours, handle stressful situations in impossible timeframes, find and fill in forms (which I struggled to do because of cognitive issues), and spend hours on Zoom calls when I struggled to talk and breathe, resulting in extreme chest pain, shortness of breath, exhaustion and severe symptom relapses.”

Respondents were also concerned about what the future might hold for them at work given the amount of sick leave they had been forced to take due to their long Covid symptoms.

Around one in six respondents (18 per cent) said the amount of sick leave they had taken had triggered absence management or HR processes.

New rights and protections for those with long Covid

The TUC is calling for the government to urgently recognise long Covid as a disability under the Equality Act.

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as a “physical or mental impairment…[that] has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [their] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. Government guidance makes clear that ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more.

The TUC says that many who have long Covid already meet this criteria and should therefore be protected under the law rather than forced to go through the stress of employment tribunals.

Extending Equality Act 2010 protections so they cover workers with long Covid would ensure employers cannot legally discriminate against them. It would also put a duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments that remove, reduce or prevent any disadvantages workers with long Covid face, as for any other enduring condition or disability.  

In addition, the union body is calling on ministers to recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease – entitling employees and their dependents to protection and compensation if they contracted the virus while working.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Many of the workers who have carried us through the pandemic are now living with debilitating symptoms of long Covid. And we’re beginning to hear troubling stories of a massive wave of discrimination against people with long Covid.  

“It’s time to recognise this condition properly – and make sure workers who are living with long Covid get the support they need to do their jobs.

“Long Covid must be recognised as a disability. That would mean workers are protected by the Equality Act, and would have a right to get reasonable adjustments at work.

“And Covid-19 should be designated as an occupational disease. That would allow workers who contracted Covid-19 at work and are living with the consequences to claim the compensation they are due.  

“Employers must also act. They should make sure they make reasonable adjustments for workers with long Covid, and complete specific risk assessments to make sure workers with long Covid are safe at work.” 

Lesley Macniven, Chair of the Long Covid Support Group, who worked with the TUC on its report, said: “Even those with ‘mild’ Covid can suffer daily with fluctuating symptoms, exhausted and alone. Promises we’ll ‘just get better’ have been proved otherwise.

“A year on we need legally enforceable guidance for employers and government – informed by unions, occupational health and patient groups with significant lived experience managing long Covid.

“Patients need time to convalesce, then recuperate through a very gradual, flexible phased return to work, over months, to achieve a sustainable return.

“Long Covid is disabling young, previously healthy workers. This key step is needed to take the effects of long Covid seriously, enable rehabilitation and protect dedicated workers from discrimination due to poor understanding of the condition.”

Formatted-version-of-Long-Covid-report-v1.3-1Download

TUC: Employers are “massively under-reporting” Covid deaths

  • Employers claim just 2.5% of working-age Covid deaths are from exposure to Coronavirus at work 
  • System for reporting workplace deaths and infections is “letting bad bosses off the hook”, says TUC 
  • Under-reporting has badly undermined health and safety regulation and enforcement during the pandemic 

The number of people who have died from exposure to Covid at work is being “massively under-reported” by employers, according to a new TUC report published yesterday (Sunday). 

The report highlights a huge discrepancy between Covid work-related deaths reported by employers and data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Public Health England. 

Between April 2020 and April 2021 the ONS reported that 15,263 people of working age died from Covid.  But according to reports filed by employers just 387 (2.5 per cent) of these deaths came from workers contracting Covid at work. 

The union body says this under-reporting has badly undermined health and safety regulation enforcement during the pandemic with employers less likely to face action from regulators for putting staff at risk. 

Under-reporting in at-risk sectors 

The TUC’s report shows that in sectors with high numbers of deaths during the pandemic –  like food production and transport – only a small fraction of deaths have been reported as work-related by employers. 

Figures from the ONS show that between March 2020 and December 2020 more than 600 people working in the transport sector died.  

But according to reports filed by employers (over the longer period of April 2020 to April 2021) just 10 deaths in the transport sector were work-related. 

And figures from the ONS show that 63 food production workers died between March 2020 and December 2020. 

But according to data supplied by employers (over the longer period of April 2020 to April 2021) just three of these deaths were the result of work. 

The TUC believes the true number of work-related deaths in these and other sectors are much higher, especially considering the high number of breaches of safety protocols we have seen during the pandemic and the high numbers of outbreaks.  

Reporting system “letting bad bosses off the hook” 

Employers are required by law to report deaths, injuries and illnesses that take place at work or in connection with work.   

This is done through a mechanism called RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) which logs work-related deaths, illnesses and injuries for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

But under the current reporting system employers are given “free rein” to decide whether a Covid-19 diagnosis is the result of occupational exposure or from exposure outside of work premises. 

The TUC says this loophole has led to employers not reporting the true scale of Covid work-related deaths and infections to the HSE, despite this information being vital to containing the spread of the virus. 

Enforcement crisis 

The TUC says that for the HSE to do its job effectively it must possess an accurate and up-to-date picture of where and when work-related deaths and infections are taking place. 

But during the pandemic it has only been provided with very partial information from employers.  

This has prevented the HSE from carrying out potentially urgent inspections and ensuring employers take the necessary action to keep workers and the public safe, says the report. 

TUC analysis shows that just 1 in 218 workplaces has been inspected by the HSE (between March 2020 and April 2021) and not one single employer has been prosecuted for putting staff at risk.  

The union body says this “crisis of regulation and enforcement” has allowed bad bosses to get away with flagrant labour rights abuses – adding that the pandemic has highlighted Britain’s enforcement system’s long-standing deficiencies. 

New approach needed to health and safety 

As well as calling for improvements in the way work-related delated deaths and infections are reported, the union body says government must reverse cuts to the HSE of the past decade, which it says left the country “under-prepared and vulnerable” to the pandemic.  

The last ten years has seen real term cuts of 50 per cent to the HSE budget, on top of local authority budgets being slashed.  

There has also been a dramatic decline in inspections. There were 27 per cent fewer HSE inspections carried out in the UK in 2019 than 2011, amounting to a fall of over 5,700 a year. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Everybody deserves to be safe at work. But this pandemic has exposed a crisis in health and safety regulation and enforcement. 

“Employers have massively under-reported Covid work-related deaths and infections. This has made it much harder for regulators to track where outbreaks are happening and allowed bad bosses to get away with flagrant labour rights abuses. 

“It’s staggering that not a single employer has been prosecuted for putting workers at risk of contracting Covid-19.  

“The government must fix the deficiencies in how workplace deaths, illnesses and injuries are reported. The current system is letting bosses off the hook. 

“And ministers must fund enforcement bodies properly so they can recruit and train qualified workplace inspectors, inspect more workplaces, and prosecute companies who don’t keep their workers safe.”

A copy of the report can be found at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-05/Underreporting%20of%20RIDDOR%20report%20-%20May%2021.pdf. 

Stop Israeli Government Violence Against Palestinians

TUC CONDEMNS ISRAEL’S EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

The planned eviction and forced displacement of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem to make way for settler families – could amount to a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Cpnvention, according to the UN, and must not be allowed to go ahead.

We condemn the excessive use of force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians protesting against the evictions in Jerusalem, and the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza strip, which have reportedly killed over 20 Palestinians. The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and violence inflicted on worshippers is equally condemned.

Palestinians have the right to peaceful protest – to protest against being forcibly evicted from their homes, to protest against being under occupation, to protest for their rights.   

It is time for the UK government and international community to take firm action and hold the Israeli government account – to stop the persistent violations of international law, to stop the excessive use of force against Palestinians, and to end the illegal occupation.

The TUC has long-standing policy in support of Palestinian rights and justice for Palestine. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah and all the victims of the violence of recent days.

TUC: Long Covid at work survey

The TUC is interested in the experiences of people with Long Covid in work, including people who have lost their jobs because of Long Covid. 

Long Covid is the term used to describe COVID-19 symptoms that extending beyond the initial infection. Evidence on Long Covid points to symptoms of COVID-19 lasting for weeks, months and possibly years after the infection.

This survey asks questions to better understand how workers with Long Covid have been treated in the workplace.

Take the survey

May Day international solidarity message

from TUC General Secretary FRANCES O’GRADY

Dear sisters and brothers, 

This May Day we are reminded of our past struggles for dignity and justice, and the huge challenges we face in defending our members throughout this pandemic. 

We have seen all those who delivered vital services during this trying year and have fought to ensure their rights. 

Collectively we must address the economic impact of  the pandemic, ever growing inequality, structural racism, the rise of far right populism and the climate crisis. 

Our fundamental values of internationalism and solidarity endure and we send you and all the workers you represent our warm may day wishes. We know that when we work together across borders we can achieve true and lasting change. 

We appreciate and value our continued friendship and look forward to working together over the coming months to achieve equality, social justice, peace, decent work and an end to exploitation.

In solidarity

Frances O’Grady

TUC May Day video 

May Day is a moment to remind ourselves that when workers come together across borders, no-one can keep us down.

PM must set timetable for Covid-19 public inquiry, says TUC

The TUC is calling for an immediate public inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The call came as workers around the world marked International Workers’ Memorial Day yesterday, in memory of those who have died, been injured, suffered work-related ill-health or been infected at work.

Official figures show more than 11,000 working age people have died of Covid-19 since the pandemic began.

The TUC says that alongside scrutinising the quality of decision-making across the pandemic response in government, the public inquiry must specifically look at infection control and workplace safety, including the failure to provide adequate financial support to self-isolate, PPE availability for health and care staff and other frontline workers throughout the crisis, the effectiveness of test and trace, and the failure to enforce the law on workplace safety.

It adds it should examine the unequal impact of Covid-19 on different groups of workers, specifically Black and Minority Ethnic workers and insecure occupations among whom Covid mortality rates are disproportionately higher.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Any public inquiry must look at why workers were put at risk – be it through inadequate PPE or being unable to afford to self-isolate.

“This isn’t about settling scores. It’s about getting answers and learning the lessons to save lives in future. On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember those who have died, and pledge ourselves to fight for safe workplaces for everyone.”

Jo Goodman, co-founder of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice said: “An independent, judge-led statutory public inquiry is vital to making sure we learn lessons and save lives during the pandemic and for any future waves.”

The families of Unite members who lost loved ones to Covid-19 walked the memorial wall in London ton International Workers’ Memorial Day.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and the families also joined with TUC representatives to observe the minute’s silence at midday on 28 April.

Unite said it is throwing its weight behind calls for a statutory public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic, recently rejected by ministers, and is backing the campaign for the National Covid Memorial Wall in Lambeth, south London, to be made permanent.

The memorial wall is made up of 150,000 individual painted hearts, one for every UK person who lost their life to the disease in the past year. The wall is around half a kilometre long and takes around 10 minutes to walk.

Len McCluskey joined Hannah Brady and Leshie Chandrapala, who both lost their fathers to the disease last year. Hannah’s father caught the virus while travelling to his work in a factory, while Leshie’s father was one of 27 London bus drivers who died of the disease between March and May last year.

Speaking ahead of his visit, Len McCluskey said: “Unite offers the bereaved families our full support in securing a permanent home for this incredible wall, and in the continued battle for the full and frank public inquiry the country needs.”