Council workers in Dundee have been left in limbo following a dispute with management over a shortage of protective gear and “no clear guidance” on coronavirus for employees visiting at-risk tenants.
Trade union chiefs sent home members working from the council’s Clepington Road depot on Wednesday, with instructions to only respond to emergencies, amid fears unprotected staff could catch and spread to elderly or vulnerable residents Covid-19 .
Workers were present from 8am on Thursday as normal but those working on jobs which require visits to members of the public, such as the council’s large-scale boiler and smoke alarm installation programmes, were told work had been postponed.
One source described how senior management and trade unionists were locked in tense exchanges on Thursday morning while a section of the workforce was left “hanging about” outside.
He said: “The whole workforce was sent home on Thursday and were only doing emergencies. They were all told to come back in on Friday but they don’t have enough equipment to protect the workers or a proper plan in place.
“Lack of clear management hasn’t helped so no one has done any work yet. If we lose these guys, housing and property don’t get fixed.”
Unite convener Steve Geekie said workers could continue to face issues due to an ongoing shortage of protective gloves and masks but stressed the importance of keeping the public safe.
He said: “We were concerned, especially for older people. We have a number of large programmes at the moment, including fitting boilers and smoke alarms, which involve going into tenants’ homes.
“There has been no clear guidance from the council so the decision was taken to send the guys home. Those who aren’t coming into contact with others have carried on and I want to be clear that all the guys have put their names forward to cover emergencies.
“They all came in to work at 8am as normal. At this time, we have guys hanging about the yard with no work and we are trying to resolve that.
“Hopefully, with the schools closing, by Monday there will be enough work but some could be hanging around on Friday as well waiting for stuff to come in and we need to be honest about that.”
Dundee City Council said it has issued guidance “on a range of issues” concerning the coronavirus outbreak and continues to speak to unions “throughout this time”.
A spokesman said: “These are unprecedented times globally.
“Council staff are working hard to deliver services to the people of Dundee in the face of a number of major challenges and we would thank them for these efforts.
“Shortages of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) have been reported internationally and we are making every effort to make sure that employees can get the equipment that they need to allow essential services to the public to be delivered.
“We are not asking our employees to take unnecessary risks.”
