Local MPs demand that the Government defines whether online retailers are essential industries

Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd and two other local MPs have written to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with concerns about the safety of local warehouse workers in the online retail industry.

The letter from Tony Lloyd and Oldham MPs Debbie Abrahams and Jim McMahon was sent after hundreds of constituents who work in a number of warehouse and distribution businesses in Rochdale and Oldham contacted them with concerns.

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Dear Alok,

We are aware of the pressure you and your officials are currently working under, and let us offer our thanks for those efforts.

A significant issue in the Rochdale / Oldham quadrant in Greater Manchester is that of large warehouses supporting the online retail industry. The Government’s attempt to bring about lockdown still lags some way behind other European countries, where this type of activity has been forbidden. Local employers in the North West, make the point that if the Government is urging these industries to remain open, then their competitors, overseas and domestic, will more than likely continue to trade, which in turn encourages them to follow suit. But companies have said if the Government orders closure, they will abide.

However, the brutal facts, and these are brutal facts, are that people will contract coronavirus and/or pass on the virus to vulnerable loved ones, if they are expected to continue to work, particularly in these large-scale, warehousing conditions.

We understand that there is an economic question in all of this, but ultimately, this has to be a question of individual health and safety, and through that a collective health and safety issue in pandemic circumstances.

We also know that there are other examples of industries that continue to work where it isn’t obvious that they are essential in getting us through the coronavirus crisis. Without a tougher response from the Government, the measures announced by the Prime Minister this week will not achieve their desired outcome of flattening the curve, saving lives and protecting our NHS.

Without government clarity and leadership many companies are uncertain about their own future, and are understandably worried about financial viability without greater support. It is essential that there is a clearer message that social distancing isn’t simply advisory, but mandatory with enforcement in the workplace. Where the nature of the business makes this impossible the government should extend support for larger companies with turnover above £45m, and consider more flexible options including widening coverage of the job retention scheme.

In this context, I would urge the UK Government to clearly define what are essential/nonessential industries and for you to instruct all those defined as non-essential businesses to close as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Lloyd MP
Member of Parliament for Rochdale

Debbie Abrahams MP
Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth

Jim McMahon MP
Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton