21st October 2020

 

Dear Member

COVID-19 STOP PRESS

England – Further to our Update last night there was a bit of confusion about when the Manchester lockdown begins.  It is from 00.01 on Friday, that is to say Thursday is the last day of trading.

It has been announced that South Yorkshire will go into Tier 3 from 00.01 on Saturday.  West Yorkshire and the North East look like they will be next.

UK –  I would be grateful if members could  provide any feedback on how easy it has been to access support in England, Scotland and Wales. We can use this in our lobbying. 

Single Site Operators – The pressure on the machine supply chain has been intense throughout this crisis.  The absence of support for supply chains has been criminal and short-sighted. The message is getting through gradually but we need to keep the momentum going and again I would ask all single-site operators to write to their local MPs, MSPs and MSs as well as local councillors to explain just how desperate the situation is and how support needs to be provided.

I would suggest you also encourage your staff to write to their local representatives too. They are, I know, very worried about the future.  It doesn’t need to be a long letter and I suggest it is very much in their own words.  It should simply express the concerns that members of staff have about the absence of support for their employer in the current pandemic and how that has them worried about their job and their future.  It should conclude by encouraging the elected member to raise the matter with relevant Ministers on their behalf.

Kind regards,

John