- Conference
- 2021 Virtual Special Water, Enviroment & Transport Conference
- Date
- 8 April 2021
- Decision
- Carried
The Special Water, Environment and Transport Service Group Conference 2021 is increasingly concerned about the extent to which a decade of austerity and regulatory constraints has impacted on the safety of WET members when carrying out activities in the workplace as well as the impact on the response to the pandemic as key workers. The levels of fatigue experienced by UNISON members employed in the Water Industry and potentially in other sectors covered by the Service Group appears to be reaching unprecedented levels.
Staffing levels being butchered to the bone by employers in the Water Industry is the major cause of fatigue with members covering more than their contractual work and hours.
With renationalisation of the Water Industry unlikely to occur now for at least 4 years this issue is likely to only get worse as Water Companies remain profit driven in preference to delivering a fully staffed quality service to the public.
This Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to work with UNISON�s National Health and Safety unit to explore developing a best practice guide to assist members in dealing with fatigue which will undoubtedly continue for the foreseeable future.