No. 224/2020
24
April 2020
Our
Ref: E1/20
To: All Branches
Dear
Colleagues,
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing
The
Department of Health and Social Care has updated arrangements for testing
for essential workers and their families.
These
updated arrangements mean that in England and Northern Ireland essential
staff working in telecommunications (including but not limited to network
operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data
infrastructure, 999 and 111 essential services), Postal Services and
Delivery, and members of their households showing symptoms which might
indicate COVID-19 infection can directly access a self-serve Government
website and apply for testing at drive-through regional testing centres
currently available in England and Northern Ireland.
Participation
is voluntary and confidential. No information will be shared with the
employer.
The
Union welcomes this development which will help to alleviate the
uncertainty facing many members and their families when they or a household
member develops COVID-19 type symptoms.
We
understand that briefing of Royal Mail managers commenced last night and
will continue this morning. Royal Mail has provided the Union with
the attached statement which clearly indicates the voluntary and
confidential nature of this service. Royal Mail intends to ‘signpost’
employees who are self-isolating to the testing website within the first
three days of absence. The CWU welcomes this as part of the
employer’s duty of care to its employees. The Royal Mail statement makes
clear the voluntary and confidential
nature of the testing service. Employees are under no obligation to
inform their manager if they or a member of their family have been tested
and the manager should not seek this information. However, the union
would strongly encourage members who test positive to immediately report
this so that they can be appropriately supported and any measures necessary
to help safe-guard colleagues, such as unit cleaning, can be applied.
Information
regarding testing in Scotland and Wales will be circulated as soon as it
becomes available.
Any
enquiries relating to this LTB should be directed to Ray Ellis (rellis@cwu.org).
Yours
sincerely
Ray Ellis
Acting
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
20LTB224 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing
Voluntary coronavirus testing for eligible
employees