University staff speak out about COVID-19 fears

A UNISON survey published this week shows how university staff including cleaners, security guards and administrative workers are feeling increasingly anxious about work, now that universities have reopened. Rebecca Hawkins* is a technical demonstrator in the art and design department of a university. She said: “I don’t feel safe at all. Every day presents a new challenge that nobody knows how to handle. I just feel like we’re all making it up as we go along, with sketchy guidelines that seem open to interpretation. “We had an email from the dean the other day saying that someone in our group had tested positive, but we don’t have to self-isolate. As far as I’m aware, that goes against government guidelines. “Everyone’s writing their own risk assessments, and it just feels like a ticking time bomb until there’s a big outbreak here. Since the students came back, it feels like I’m on the frontline.” Rebecca’s university has split teaching 60-40 between physical and virtual. But Rebecca says it’s created a two-tiered system among staff: “All the academics are still at home in their slippers!” More than 4,000 UNISON members completed the annual higher education survey, which exposed concerns about pay, working hours and the threat from COVID-19. 83% of higher education workers expressed fears about social distancing, and 45% said they were worried about a lack of personal protective equipment. Worryingly, more than a third (36.4%) haven’t yet...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article coronavirus higher education Covid-19 universities university Source Type: news