The People’s Charter against Covid-19

The Labour Representation Committee (LRC) proposes The People’s Charter against Covid-19.  

This charter cannot be regarded as a definitive document. The pandemic is creating new problems for working people all the time. The specific safeguards we are entitled to demand as the Tories and employers try to drive us back to work will vary from workplace to workplace. We welcome LRC members approaching us with proposed additions and amendments. The situation is changing all the time and our demands may need to change with them. Thanks to John McGrory for his help in compiling the list. 

The Charter includes a list of key demands for fighting the virus and dealing with the effects of the virus on the economy, work and society. We encourage Labour Party groups and trade union branches to pass all, or a selection, of these demands.

In their response to Covid-19, the Tories have put the importance of the economy over people’s lives. Their response, on testing and tracing and isolating, and on the job retention and self-employment income support schemes, has been a scandal.

The financial crisis 2008-2009 was the fault of the banks and capitalism. However, it was the working class and, in particular, oppressed sections of the class who paid for the crisis. This cannot be allowed to happen for the crisis caused by Covid-19. Socialism is the answer to the problems and demands caused by Covid-19.  

We, the people, demand:  

Fighting the virus - support the health and social care services

1. Universal testing and tracing and isolating following World Health Organisation advice.

2. Personal protective equipment for all who need it.

3. Urgent procurement of ventilators and other vital medical equipment and supplies.

4. Price controls on drugs and equipment. Nationalise pharmaceutical businesses.

5. Immediate closure of workplaces where a member of staff shows symptoms of Covid-19, followed by a deep clean of the workplace. The workplace should only reopen once a health and safety inspection is completed and it is agreed by the organisation and trade union that the workplace is safe. (This may not be possible in hospitals and care facilities. However cleaning of areas can still take place.)

6. Full nationalisation of all private hospitals and social care facilities. A fully funded NHS and National Care Service / National Independent Living Support Service with an emergency plan and injection of funds. Private Finance Initiative and other debts should be cancelled. 

7. Lifting of social distancing on a safetyfirst basis once effective testing and tracing and isolating are in place. Workplaces and schools should not be reopened now.

8. Demand the conversion of aerospace and other polluting industries to make socially useful products such as ventilators and wind farms.  

The economy and work - supporting workers and their families.

 9. £15 per hour minimum for all workers.

10. Universal Credit is not fit for purpose - a social security system based on the Foundation Living Wage (£9 per hour outside London and £10.55 per hour within London), an immediate end to the five week wait and scrapping of all sanctions.

11. Special full paid leave for workers showing symptoms of Covid-19.

12. End all sackings and stand-downs in relation to the current economic situation with the immediate reinstatement of those workers sacked due to the lockdown and downturn in the economy.

13. Allow all workers who are clinically at risk to work from home and, if not possible, have their jobs and pay fully protected; further, to allow those who live in the household of someone who is at risk to also work from home or have their job and pay protected in full.

14. Production based on need. Redeployment for those able to work in the manufacture of new ventilators, face masks, safety equipment, social care, health care and other vital goods and services.

15. Continued closure of all non-essential work with full pay from day one for all workers. Pay to be based on average pay levels for workers on zero-hour or short-hour contracts as well as the self-employed. Oppose forcing workers to use annual leave while furloughed or take statutory sick pay.

16. Personal protective equipment provided to all workers in contact with the public and full health and safety risk assessments to ensure their safety.

17. Scrap unreasonable productivity targets and harsh disciplinary regimes.

18. Trade union control over workplace safety and other emergency measures.

19. Full trade union rights to be restored.

20. No bailouts for tax avoiders and evaders. Call for tax havens to be closed.

21. Key conditions with bailouts of businesses, eg recognition of trade unions, environment and tax protections.  

Protect society - support our communities

22. Suspension of rents for the duration of the crisis, cancel all rent debts and stop all evictions. For those who have suffered a loss of income and for those on the lowest incomes, suspend all mortgages, credit card debts and utility bills for the duration of the crisis.

23. Co-ordination and distribution of food staple packages and other essential supplies to people facing shortages. Any big food suppliers making a profit out of supply shortages should be nationalised.

24. Safe, supported education and other provision for children of essential workers, as well as children at risk of harm or sexual exploitation. In view of school closures, parents should get immediate leave to care at full pay.

25. Requisition of buildings, hotels, unoccupied and empty housing for homeless people and those living in cramped conditions.

26. Challenge all racist scapegoating and hate crime and support our BAME communities. Challenge all homophobia and transphobia and support our LGBTQ+ communities.

27. Domestic violence is a major concern under the stay at home policy. Refuges must stay open; places increased and support of, and access to, refuges and other services must be improved (including increased training for relevant agencies).

28. We support Disabled People Against Cuts, Equalities and Human Rights UK and others who have expressed complaints about the blanket imposition on disabled people of ‘do not resuscitate’ orders and denial of access to life-saving interventions, including coercive tactics to compel or impose people to sign.

29. We note with regret that BAME people are much more at risk of catching and dying from the virus and recognise that they are more likely to be in the front line of our defence against Covid-19 as key workers. We welcome NHS management issuing guidance that “BAME personnel be risk assessed and reassigned to duties that leave them at lesser risk of contracting coronavirus.”

30. End the government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy now. This discredited anti-migrant, anti-refugees and anti-asylum seekers’ policy leads these vulnerable groups of people to be too scared to seek medical help. There should be no barrier to migrant and undocumented people being able to get free healthcare in the country and to work in the NHS.

31. Black communities have been forced to rely on themselves and their highly developed voluntary sector of African, Caribbean and Asian-led organisations. However, this is seriously at risk. Black organisations have cried out to say how worried they are feeling about the state of their voluntary sector services when the lockdown ends. Cash-strapped and marginalised black voluntary sector organisations must be prioritised for access to the promised £750m the Chancellor has earmarked for the third sector.

(For more details see: https://labourrep. com/blog/2020/513/ black-people-racism-and-thecovid-19-pandemic).

32. Close immigration detention centres and allow all refugees and asylum seekers to work and contribute their skills.

33. No profiteering on the back of the crisis - implement price controls. Excess profits made from this crisis by private companies to be surcharged and given to public bodies set up to support the victims of this crisis.

34. Direct economic intervention, including taking over factories, and planning to ensure that we manufacture the things we need to keep us safe, eg ventilators, food, tests, vaccines and protective equipment.

35. Limit on police powers with public consent and democratic oversight. Challenge any abuse.

36. Implement universal basic services - a form of social security in which all citizens receive unconditional access to a range of free, basic and public services provided by the government.

37. Nationalise the banks to provide small businesses and charities with cheap loans.

38. Reverse cuts and hire more workers in the civil service and local government to ensure the promised support to workers, the self-employed, small businesses and charities is delivered.  

What is to be done? - a socialist response

39. Nationalise all public services, public transport and utilities - public sector workers must be better valued, and their pay and pensions restored. Nationalise the postal and distribution services including the nationalisation of Amazon’s UK arm.

40. No return to cuts to pay back public debt.

41. Inequality in the fifth wealthiest economy in the world has been exposed - there must be a total realignment and redistribution of wealth.

42. Covid-19 has not displaced the climate crisis. It has made it more urgent. We need to save our planet through a Green New Deal with well paid unionised jobs that allows for a just transition for all.

43. Society needs to be built on the values of humanity, internationalism and solidarity.

44. Expansion of health and social care sectors, including a National Care Service / National Independent Living Support Service (which should take equal importance alongside the NHS), with well paid unionised jobs - a Purple New Deal (for a gender egalitarian and caring economy based on investment in care services) to meet human need alongside the Green New Deal.

45. Retraining of workers who want to convert to green and purple jobs.

46. Reduction of working time with no loss of pay.  

And the Labour Party….

As Leon Trotsky said: “In a serious struggle there is no worse cruelty than to be magnanimous at an inopportune time”. The Labour Party needs to expose the political decisions of the Tories. No compromises or surrenders.

If the Labour Party leadership fails to do this, the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs and the broad left and rank and file networks of the trade unions should make these demands on the leadership