Staff asked to do store cleaning
News that from Monday, August 24 employees in Tesco Express and Metro stores were expected to undertake cleaning duties is a stark reminder that these staff are undervalued, overlooked and vulnerable to stereotypical assumptions.
Cleaning is often characterised as women’s work, and reinforces the belief that retail work is a female role.
There have been no such reports of similar measures being implemented in the distribution centres.
This is a matter of health and safety and should not be seen as an opportunity to reduce costs.
The decision is particularly galling when it has been widely reported that supermarket sales have been at a record high during Coronavirus.
For years, Leigh Day has been acting on behalf of store workers, most of whom are women, who we claim are paid unfairly in comparison to their predominantly male distribution centre colleagues.
We hear first-hand from our clients, how physically and emotionally demanding retail work already is, and this is an added pressure that staff shouldn’t have to meet.
Instead of having more work piled on top of them, store workers should be given the recognition, respect and pay they deserve.
Lara Kennedy, solicitor in the Leigh Day Tesco Equal Pay team
Challenging times for local parents
Recent research from the Disabled Children’s Partnership found that 72% of families with disabled children in the South East of England have been providing a lot more care during lockdown and many continue to do so despite restrictions easing.
The current national emergency has compounded the challenges many parents of disabled children faced. And added layers of new ones as respite, therapies, care and schooling arrangements have been largely stopped or changed and usual routines are disrupted.
Contact, the UK charity for families with disabled children, is offering a helping hand to families in the area during this difficult time.
Family support appointments:
We’ve launched free 1-1 telephone appointments with a family support adviser for parent carers looking for a listening ear, reassurance and practical and emotional support.
Workshops:
We are running free virtual workshops on topics such as sleep, behaviour, wellbeing, money matters, and speech and language, to provide additional support for families who may be struggling during this crisis.
Families who have a disabled child can make an appointment or find out more details on the Contact website www.contact.org.uk/covid-response-services/
Amanda Batten
Chief Executive, Contact, the charity for families with disabled children
Digital education scheme for pupils
MY name is Louie, I am 16 years old and I am the Chair of the Board of Directors (Youth) for hope3g.com.
When the coronavirus pandemic forced the world into lockdown, twelve children aged between nine and seventeen had a mission; launching a free-to-use, free-to-access digital education platform for children across the globe.
Through hope3g.com, we are making sure children all over the world are still learning, even if schools are closed; creating a world where every child from every country has access to the same world-class teaching.
We have built a free-to-use, free-to-access digital education platform which will allow children everywhere to catch up on the education that coronavirus has forced them to miss.
Not only this, but it gives children anywhere in the globe access to world-leading lessons and educational content, letting us move towards the eradication of educational inequality.
To date, we have spent just £45 (on a pizza party!) and have partnered with magic-circle legal firms, the world’s largest investment banks and accountants, and have worked tirelessly to build a platform that should have cost millions.
The HOPE mission is a collaborative initiative driven by children, made possible by adults. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to think back to how we started off as 12 children with no money and are now building a global organisation. We have 2,000 student volunteers worldwide and work in a six-storey HALKIN office building near Blackfriars Bridge. We even have servers provided to us from Jeff Bezos from Amazon!
We want to encourage people to get involved with the platform by making an account to share and learn from the lessons we have available and even make content of their own! If you’re under 18 then you can join the board and contribute to the running of our platform.
There’s space for everyone to be a part of our mission! Once we’re set up, there will also be the opportunity to donate to HOPE through the platform, which we would, of course, encourage everyone to do!
I can’t wait to hear from everyone! Thank you for helping us share our passion for education as a birthright for children across the world!
Louie (16)
Chair of the Board of Directors (Youth)
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