life on the coronavirus testing frontline revealed

Linda J. Dodson

When Anthony Freeman* spotted a job advert for a role as a traffic marshall, little did he know that within days he would be working on the coronavirus frontline.

Anthony was looking for part-time work after returning from travelling the world and saw a post on Facebook linking to a recruiter’s website. It made no mention of coronavirus, with a single reference to PPE – personal protective equipment – the only clue that Anthony would soon be joining the fight against Covid-19.

He would be working on one of the 50 “drive through” test sites located across the country, with the vast majority operated by four outsourcing firms – G4S, Mitie, Serco and Sodexo. The sites have a wide mix of casual workers, including ex-army staff, students looking for summer work and people who have just been made redundant from other jobs.

But despite these people playing a crucial role in the Government’s plans to defeat coronavirus, Anthony and others working on some drive-through sites have complained of low wages and no sick or holiday pay, despite coming into regular contact with those showing symptoms. 

Anthony and other temporary workers have clauses in their contracts which prevent them from discussing their roles, meaning they have only been able speak out about working practices under the condition of anonymity.

Thousands of people work across these sites, and outsourcing firms have been desperate to get staff on board as soon as possible to meet the demand for testing.

“I applied on a Thursday evening and was told we could start on the Friday if we got the documents over quickly enough,” Anthony said. 

He was keen to play a part in helping the NHS, but frustrations quickly grew once he arrived at the test centre. “The job satisfaction is very low,” Anthony said. “The conversation on the site is always about working conditions.”

Despite coming into contact with potentially infected people on a daily basis, Anthony is not entitled to occupational sick pay from his employer should he fall ill.

His contract states he is not entitled to any holiday pay and must work for 10 days in a row, followed by two days off. He can be dismissed from the role at any time.

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