Deaths among postal workers 3.3 times higher than in general working population
Unite’s assistant general secretary Howard Beckett has slammed Royal Mail’s decision to axe 2,000 jobs as a ‘kick in the teeth’ – and vowed to fight the job losses as the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal that Royal Mail workers have suffered more than three times more coronavirus deaths than the average for the working population:
The 40 postal workers who died represent 0.025% of Royal Mail’s UK workforce of 143,000 – compared to a death rate in the same period of 0.0085% of the UK’s working-age population. In fact, the danger to those working directly in mail handling is considerably greater than 3.3 times as high, as the 143,000 figure includes other roles in the Royal Mail workforce – and retirement age increases will have impacted the ‘working-age’ population since the 2011 census.
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Its Time for every worker to protect themselves by joining a Trades Union. It is clearly a neoliberalism policy to use the Covid pandemic to clap for workers whilst scheming to cut thousands of jobs. Instead of cutting jobs create a 4 day working week for all workers. Provide the H&S and worklife balances that employers would generally mouth but never implement, well now you have the opportunity to talk the talk as well as walking the walk !!
Wages in Europe; GB & USA have either stagnated or fallen during the past 4 decades, but it remains a hidden statistic that neither economists nor journalists want to address. I remember the promise of unlimited leisure time promised back in the ’50s because of the miracle of nuclear power & zero priced energy & after years of austerity because Alistair Darling paid off the ‘Banksters’ debt, the Tory gov’t could then print money from the magic money tree courtesy of Quantative Easing & the Bank of England.
Zombie banks have re-capitalised by borrowing @ zero interest & international conglomerates have bought back their own shares by borrowing without re-payment (an illegal transaction not so long ago), again courtesy of apartheid zero interest rates not available to the public. Thatcher brought another cheap labour source into the market via service industries & Blair did the same via the EU. The markets are flooded with cheap labour via globalisation & manufacturing outsourced, usually to China.
We manufactured more during the 3 day week than we do now when both parents didn’t have to work to obtain a mortgage. Contrary to promises made, the pension age is set to rise again as we believe endless promises made by politicians & an acquiescent media. It’s all the fault of the baby-boomers according to MSM. “Just gimmie some truth”.