DEALING WITH COVID-19

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2020 :: RMTnews 26 BECCA MASTERS ‘this pandemic has been hard and there’s still a long way to go’ I am a keyworker (a guard), but I’m also an extremely vulnerable worker. Having an autoimmune disorder and severe asthma means having to shield for twelve weeks. This is no easy feat, particularly with bipolar disorder as well!  The immense feeling of guilt tops the page, sat at home whilst your colleagues put their health at risk making sure other keyworkers can get to work via public transport. I’d much rather be at work, doing my part.  I’m trying to stave off depression and mania. After being episode-free for six months, I am now trying to keep busy. The idea of staying in for twelve weeks drains your emotions. There are worries: about the next consultant appointment being cancelled, people not adhering to social distancing, catching Covid-19. The worry of having to leave the house to have blood work done, collect medication, food and supplies; and having to homeschool your child.  When you’re used to a routine, changes are hard. It’s hard to stay at home. It’s hard to combat the worry and boredom. It’s hard to keep on top of your medication regime when you don’t even know what day of the week it is. MARK STOKES ‘my own kind of hell!’ As someone who has combined ADHD and autism, I need routine and work best with clear and plain instructions. At present I’m living in my own kind of hell! The way I’m supposed to work my train keeps changing! We have been told not to walk the train, no cash sales, work from the cab, be two metres away, don’t blow your whistle, sign on at home to find out if you’re working! I find it hard to not touch my face, I forget not to touch things around me as I walk my train, and I fight to remember that I must wash my hands and use sanitiser (if I can find any). How clean are the trains, mess rooms and depots? The thought of going to work not knowing what to expect makes me anxious, feel sick, uptight and depressed at times. As things have changed, there is a constant fear of making a mistake and finding yourself disciplined.    If it were not for the support of RMT and my fellow members, it would be totally unbearable. I would have hated to be on my own. KAREN MITCHELL Extremely vulnerable, but not so shielded I have Lupus, and my employer identified me as vulnerable straightaway. As an office worker, they facilitated me working from home, delivering office supplies to my house, retrieving things from my desk, being caring and compassionate.  My employer has a long way to go to let its good intentions for office staff bleed through to frontline operational staff, but I can see things starting to swing. As vulnerable shielded, I have been asked to stay indoors, to isolate myself from the rest of my household and rely on them to get what I need. But my partner is a key worker for the NHS – non- clinical, but in that environment day-in-day-out.  So my only means of support is expected to go to work and be confronted with exactly what I am being told to shield myself from. The guidelines for shielding vulnerable people have not gone far enough. JULIE CRUSE Meddling managers As it became clear that Coronavirus was a real issue, I spoke with my managers, but no-one seemed to take responsibility or know what to do. I was yet to see any cleaning regime that the Mayor was talking about, and a supervisor came in DISABLED MEMBERS SPEAK OUT DEALING WITH COVID-19 The Covid-19 crisis has had a big impact on all of us. Here, four disabled RMT members tell how it has affect them.