“Furloughed workers in Derry are being forced to take holiday time during the lockdown. This is being imposed without discussion or negotiation.
Not every employer is acting like this. But we have been made aware of workplaces where it has become the order of the day.
A day a week under “house arrest” is not the same thing as a day off. It is wrong that workers should have their holiday pay docked. It’s not as if they are skiving.
The main lesson from this is that workers need to be organised in unions if their interests are to be taken into account. This is something to keep in mind for the aftermath of the emergency.
We will need to be extra-alert to ensure that workers’ rights and interests are not ignored.”