Created on: 20 Nov 2020 | Last modified: 18 Jan 2021
Q1: I was previously shielding and have now received a Shielding Notification letter from the Chief Medical Officer, what should I do?
A: We understand that the letter says that you should work from home if you can. You should show the letter to your employer as soon as possible. If it is your position that you cannot work safely in school you should explain the reasons why, giving examples if you can (e.g. because physical distancing is not being adhered to stringently).
If you can work from home you should ask to work from home and give examples of work you can do at home if possible. If you must use public transport to get to and from work tell your employer this. This should form part of your risk assessment.
Your employer should be aware that use of public transport in level 4 is prohibited for you. You should insist on working from home on that basis if you must use public transport to get to and from work.
If your employer continues to refuse to allow you to work from home because they say that the school is safe we have a grievance letter which you can send to them. It is up to your employer to demonstrate why home working is not reasonably practicable.
You should get in touch with your Local Association Secretary if you want to raise a grievance about this. If you are reluctant to raise a grievance you can speak to your Local Association Secretary about this. As an alternative to relying on the Shielding Notification letter you can speak to your own GP about your concerns about fitness to work.
Q: I am pregnant and on Friday my school will be in Tier 4. I am concerned about going into work, what should I do?
A: We understand your concerns. You should be aware that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine have produced a joint publication stating that for those women who are in the 28th week of pregnancy and beyond, there is an increased risk of becoming severely ill should they contract COVID-19.
Their clinical advice is that social distancing is particularly important for this category of pregnant women in order to lessen their risk of contracting the virus.
If you feel unsafe at School because of a lack of physical distancing you should ask to work from home and give examples of work you can do at home. If your employer continues to refuse to allow you to work from home because they say that the school is safe we have a grievance letter which you can send to them.
You should get in touch with your Local Association Secretary if you want to raise a grievance about this. If you are reluctant to raise a grievance you can speak to your Local Association Secretary about this. It maybe that there are other women in a similar situation to you so a collective grievance might be possible. As an alternative you can speak to your own GP about your concerns about fitness to work.
Q: I am living with a vulnerable person and I am now concerned about going to work as my school will be in Tier 4/has cases of Covid currently, what should I do?
A: If you feel unsafe at School because of a lack of physical distancing and how this might impact the person you live with you should ask to work from home and give examples of work you can do at home.
If your employer continues to refuse to allow you to work from home because they say that the school is safe we have a grievance letter which you can send to them.
You should get in touch with your Local Association Secretary if you want to raise a grievance about this. If you are reluctant to raise a grievance you can speak to your Local Association Secretary about this. It may be that there are other people in a similar situation to you so a collective grievance might be possible.
As an alternative you can speak to your own GP about your concerns about your own fitness to work at this time.