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ADD 2024 To Focus on Mobility Of Skilled Workers, Gender Equality

Abu Dhabi Dialogue 2024 addresses skill mobility between sending, receiving countries in line with future prospects of work. Abu Dhabi Dialogue, which is held on the sidelines of World Government Summit 2024, is a voluntary consultative mechanism that aims to provide a public platform for dialogue on best practices between Asian labour sending and receiving countries in the Asia corridor, supporting bilateral and multilateral partnerships in the region and enhancing collaboration on labour market regulatory…reports Asian Lite News

Preparations for the Seventh Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) Ministerial Consultation started in Dubai as senior officials from the ministries of labour, human resources, and employment of 16 ADD member countries held eight working sessions attended by representatives of international organisations, the private sector and civil society, as well as experts and observers.

Abu Dhabi Dialogue, which is held on the sidelines of World Government Summit 2024, is a voluntary consultative mechanism that aims to provide a public platform for dialogue on best practices between Asian labour sending and receiving countries in the Asia corridor, supporting bilateral and multilateral partnerships in the region and enhancing collaboration on labour market regulatory.

ADD also provides a platform for exchanging innovative initiatives to enhance workers’ wellbeing, ensure prosperity in the business community, and maximise benefits and advantages for ADD member countries’ economies that stem from the movement of individuals for employment within the Asia corridor.

The first working session, led by Professor Gibril Faal, Director of GK Partners and LSE Visiting Professor in practice, addressed the role of technology in reducing and resolving labour disputes, and the need to employ advanced technology to launch initiatives to regulate the labour market, reduce labour disputes, and reach quicker and easier solutions to settle them.

Meanwhile, the second working session featured Ahmed Alarabi, Deputy CEO of Operations & Services at the Labour Market Regulatory Authority in Bahrain, during which he discussed the importance of expanding the scope of wage protection systems in labour-receiving countries to include domestic workers. He said this falls under the role that technology plays in enhancing workers’ wellbeing, empowering countries to manage labour markets, and implementing the best available means to monitor key indicators regarding workers’ rights. The session also discussed available options for implementing technology in labour markets and its potential impact.

The third working session reviewed the need to promote safe and low-cost monetary transfers for workers from labour-sending countries, and the impact this has in terms of enhancing their wellbeing. Presented by Dilip Ratha, Lead Economist at the World Bank and Chair of the KNOMAD Thematic Group on Remittances, the session explored ways to enhance banking services and make them accessible to all categories of workers, including domestic workers.

On a related note, the fourth working session highlighted ways to use technology to improve workers’ access to health information, which effectively helps ensure their wellbeing and establish a safe work environment. Sulaiman Aldakheel, General Manager of the Gulf Health Council, spoke at the session, underlining the pioneering efforts and initiatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries as leading destinations for labour, and highlighting the pioneering steps the GCC has taken to enhance workers’ protection, inform them of their rights in terms of health, and educate them about health and safety standards in the work environment.

Mobility of skilled workers

Senior officials from the ministries of labour, human resources, and employment in Abu Dhabi Dialogue member countries convened in two of the working sessions and discussed ways for facilitating and enhancing skills mobility between labour sending and receiving countries in line with the future prospects of work.

The first session addressed key guidelines for building successful partnerships between countries to streamline skill transfer between sending and receiving countries, based on the evolving needs of labour markets and economic growth strategies in labour-receiving countries.

Jason Gagnon, Head of the Migration and Skills Unit at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), spoke at the session, highlighting the importance of developing the skills of workers in labour-sending countries, in line with the requirements and work environment in labour-receiving countries, in order to achieve balance and harmony between workers’ skills and labour market requirements, as well as to enhance the role that temporary workers play in accelerating economic growth and offering added value to labour-receiving markets.

Meanwhile, the second session, which featured Kishore Kumar Singh, Senior Skills Development Specialist at the Decent Work Technical Support Team of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Regional Offi­ce for Arab States, underlined the most effective ways to match labour mobility with the needs of the labour market. The session discussed the importance of matching migrant workers’ skills and experiences with labour market requirements and future economic development goals in labour-receiving countries, in order to ensure the success and sustainability of labour mobility. This, he said, allows workers to seize the greatest possible opportunities, where they develop their skills in their home countries based on the latest requirements and modern systems adopted by labour-receiving countries.

Gender equality

Two of the working sessions included meetings to discuss ways to integrate gender equality into the framework of employment policies of Abu Dhabi Dialogue member nations. The first session examined current and potential demand for employing female workers in the field of technology, as well as ways to facilitate access to tech-related sectors to enhance women’s participation in labour markets.

The session featured Dr. Jean D’Cunha, Senior Global Advisor on International Migration, Decent Work, and Entrepreneurship at UN Women, and discussed the need to enhance women’s participation and integration in the labour market considering the major technological developments, transforming various business sectors, which have led to a significant expansion in suitable jobs for female workers, reducing the number of highly intense, which are unsuitable for women.

The second session covered ways to better evaluate women’s employment, and strategies for achieving equity and expanding women’s participation in labour markets, especially in the health sector. Speaker Tanja Dedovic, Senior Regional Thematic Specialist for Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) explained the importance of women’s participation in the labour market, the major role they play, and the vast areas where they can excel.

Activities of the Seventh Abu Dhabi Dialogue Ministerial Consultation are scheduled to officially begin on Sunday, 11 February, where ministers of labour, human resources, and employment will discuss the outcomes of the working sessions held by senior officials to review recommendations and make appropriate decisions.

The UAE hosts the Permanent Secretariat of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, which was launched in 2008 as a forum for dialogue and cooperation between Asian labour sending and receiving countries.

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-Top News UK News

Overseas skilled workers exploited at care home

TN exempts disabled employees from attending office

The investigation also revealed low staffing at care homes, which according to health professionals, risks vulnerable residents…reports Asian Lite News

An investigation by the BBC has revealed shocking details of the exploitation of overseas care workers at a care home in northeast England. Nurses and care workers from overseas, who constitute a large portion of the workforce at care homes, are eligible for skilled worker visas in the U.K. This means that they need to be sponsored by an employer to be able to work in the country. If they leave their jobs, they need to find another suitable post within 60 days or will have to return to their home country.

The BBC Panorama investigation, conducted by Indian-origin reporter Balakrishnan Balagopal, revealed rampant exploitation of such care workers, to the extent that their contracts prevented them from leaving. Balagopal took the job of care assistant at Addison Court in Crawcrook – one of 15 care homes in the north-east of England owned by Prestwick Care – and worked there from September to November. During his investigation, Balagopal found out that care workers are being charged thousands of pounds by an Indian recruitment agency and that nurses are locked into lengthy contracts with care homes, facing large financial penalties if they leave early.

Around 50 elderly people live in Addison Court with an average weekly fee of about £1,100. These are paid for either by the local authority, the U.K. National Health Service (NHS), the residents or their families.

The investigation also revealed low staffing at care homes, which according to health professionals, risks vulnerable residents.

Nearly one-third of Prestwick Care’s employees are overseas workers. According to the BBC investigation, a resident of Kerala who had arrived on a sponsored visa in 2018 was hit with legal action by the home, claiming that he owed the company more than £5,000. The man was also told that his contract stopped him from working for any competitor care home for six months. The legal action was eventually settled by his new employer.

Prestwick Care has denied any malpractice or systematic wrongdoings towards overseas care workers.

Earlier this month, the U.K. also announced changes to its skilled worker visa regulations, which will come into effect next spring.

According to the new rules, overseas care workers will no longer be able to bring their partner or children with them to the U.K.

According to official statistics for the past year, 140,000 visas were issued to overseas workers to come to the UK to meet staff shortages in the health and care industry and 39,000 of these went to people from India.

“As I delved deeper into the lives of overseas caregivers, I heard a narrative of exploitation, debt, separation from family, and the constant fear of making mistakes,” Balagopal said in a statement.

“The pursuit of a permanent visa became a tightrope walk, impacting the quality of care provided. The very individuals tasked with ensuring the happiness and well-being of residents found themselves entangled in a web of instability,” he said.

Nurses and care workers from overseas eligible for a skilled worker visa need to be sponsored by an employer. In theory, they can switch jobs but within a limited timeframe, which can give employers a certain exploitative hold over them.

The ‘Care Workers Under Pressure’ investigation for the BBC comes soon after the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the independent body advising the UK government on immigration, warned of exploitation in the country’s social care sector in its annual report released last week.

“Underfunding and consequential low pay contributes to the exploitation of workers in the social care sector. Migrants in the sector on the H&CW (Health & Care Worker) visa are even more susceptible to exploitation as their right to reside in the UK is directly linked to their employer, creating a power imbalance,” the MAC report notes.

It issued a series of recommendations for the government to crack down on the exploitation of workers in the social care sector.

“Government could consider greater support for migrants when they enter employment and when experiencing exploitation in the UK… such as creating a portal specifically for the care sector where vacancies that would allow migrants to switch employer are posted,” it said.

MAC also called on the government to ensure higher wages for the sector on the whole in a bid to wean it off the over-reliance on lower-paid migrant workers.

Earlier this month, the Home Office announced that such care workers on a visa will be banned from bringing any close family members as dependents from the new year. The move has been categorised as “extremely unfair” by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), the UK’s largest representative body for doctors and nurses of Indian origin.

“For anyone to provide a satisfactory and good quality care service, they can’t be separated from their own family,” said BAPIO founder Dr Ramesh Mehta.

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-Top News UK News

Passport office workers to strike for five weeks

A total of 360,000 people had to wait longer than 10 weeks to receive their passports last year…reports Asian Lite News

Most of Britain’s passport office workers will go on strike for five weeks starting next month in a pay dispute, potentially disrupting the delivery of passports ahead of the summer holiday period.

More than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working across most of the UK’s passport offices including in London, Liverpool and Glasgow will walk out from April 3 to May 5, the union said in a statement on Friday.

They join workers in other sectors in Britain who have staged strikes in recent months demanding higher pay to cover surging inflation.

Passport officers in Belfast, Northern Ireland could also strike if they vote in favour of walking out in a ballot that closes on Friday.

“This escalation of our action has come about because, in sharp contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have failed to hold any meaningful talks with us, despite two massive strikes and sustained, targeted action lasting six months,” PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said.

The PCS union has demanded a 10% pay rise for civil servants as UK inflation is now running at just over 10%. Passport officers had previously rejected a 2% pay rise.

The government’s passport offices are the sole issuer of UK passports, issuing over 5 million of them each year, meaning any strike by officers working there will likely cause significant disruption to services.

Britain is seeing the worst wave of labour unrest since the 1980s, with strikes affecting almost every aspect of daily life from healthcare and transport to schools and border checks, as workers demand pay rises that better reflect the worst inflation in four decades.

Passport Office staff have come under increasing pressure following a “record number of applications” in 2022 after COVID restrictions were lifted in the UK and abroad, the Home Office said.

A total of 360,000 people had to wait longer than 10 weeks to receive their passports last year.

And a report by the government’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, warned the Passport Office should “prepare for similar levels of demand” in 2023, with up to 10 million applications expected.

Around 100,000 other civil servants, who work in government departments, staged a strike on Wednesday alongside thousands of other employees including railway workers, doctors and teachers.

The latest action from passport office workers comes after months of strikes over pay disputes in other sectors, such as rail workers, London Underground drivers, teachers, NHS staff, regional BBC journalists, university lecturers and civil servants.

On Thursday, unions representing healthcare workers in England agreed a final pay offer with the government – which if accepted by members at a vote would bring walkouts from nurses, ambulance crews, paramedics, hospital porters and other health workers to an end.

A statement released by the government and healthcare unions said both sides believed the offer represented a “fair and reasonable settlement”.

The agreement does not apply to junior doctors as they are involved in a separate dispute with the government.

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-Top News UK News

Ambulance workers in largest walkout

The walkout, an effort by three unions that was expected to include over 20,000 workers, is the latest labor strike across numerous industries in recent weeks in Britain…reports Asian Lite News

Thousands of ambulance workers in England and Wales went on strike on Wednesday, walking out on their shifts and joining picket lines to demand pay increases and better working conditions in the largest labor unrest to hit Britain’s emergency services in decades.

The walkout, an effort by three unions that was expected to include over 20,000 workers, is the latest labor strike across numerous industries in recent weeks in Britain as a mounting cost-of-living crisis, spurred by double-digit inflation, grips the country. On Tuesday, nurses went on strike over pay that has not kept up with inflation, and rail workers and border control workers are scheduled to do the same this week.

In the ambulance services, workers have raised alarms about record delays for patients seeking emergency treatment, and paramedics have pointed to staffing shortages and burnout, as well as fears of arriving too late to help some callers.

Those issues have been exacerbated by entrenched problems within the National Health Service, where a high level of staffing vacancies has led to backlogs and long waits in hospital emergency rooms. Health workers are exhausted after working under highly stressful conditions during the pandemic, which also put their own lives at risk, and amid years of austerity measures that hollowed out public services after the 2009 financial crisis.

“We just cannot deal with the volume of calls,” said Antonia Gosnell, 53, who has worked as a paramedic for 33 years and was on a picket line in South London on Wednesday afternoon. “They all came out clapping for us during the pandemic, and now there’s nobody here to listen to what we want.”

Throughout the day, the ambulance services were prioritizing the most critical cases. Before the walkout, some hospitals asked people to arrange their own transportation to hospitals, including pregnant women going into labor. Patients needing nonurgent care were advised to look elsewhere for advice, including by telephone or from general practitioners or pharmacists.

With Christmas and end-of-year celebrations underway, health leaders urged people to avoid risky behavior on a day when services would be stretched. “Don’t get so drunk that you end up with an unnecessary visit to A. & E.,” Stephen Powis, the N.H.S. medical director for England, said in a BBC interview, referring to the Accident and Emergency departments at hospitals.

The health service’s management said before the strike that there was “deep worry” about potential harm to patients at a time when the service was already under intense pressure.

“This is not something N.H.S. leaders would ever say lightly, but some now tell us that they cannot guarantee patient safety tomorrow,” Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the N.H.S. Confederation, which represents the service’s organizations in England, said on Tuesday.

The NHS planned to manage the walkouts by calling in military personnel and volunteers, increasing staffing at call centers and discharging patients from hospitals where possible to free up beds for patients arriving in the reduced number of ambulances that were operating.

Unions representing ambulance workers blamed the government for the impasse. Workers argue that a pay increase of 1,400 pounds — about 2 to 7 percent — proposed by a government review body amounts to a cut in real terms. Inflation in the country has soared to as much as 11.1 percent in recent months, the highest in four decades.

“None of them want to be here, but if we don’t take a stand now, the ambulance service will just crumble and die,” Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison union, said from a picket line in South London.

In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, NHS England leaders said that on health grounds “it is clear that we have entered dangerous territory.”

“We urge you to do all you can to bring about an agreed solution,” they said. “Otherwise more members of the public will suffer unnecessarily.”

Sunak has called the industrial action disappointing and threatened to impose laws that would limit the reach of trade unions.

Despite worries over the strikes’ impact, some people affected by delays in ambulance services expressed sympathy for the workers.

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-Top News UAE News

UAE private sector workers jump 9% to 5.3 mn

He noted that the results reaffirm the competitiveness of the UAE’s job market, “which nurtures a wealth of human resources capable of supporting the national economic diversification drive in line with the strategic growth plans.”…reports Asian Lite News

The number of UAE-based private sector employees increased by nine percent in Q2, 2022, compared to the same period last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) said on Wednesday in its private sector workforce report.

The number of private sector employees registered in MoHRE’s database by the end of Q2 totalled 5,376,842, it added.

Khalil Al Khoori, Acting Under-Secretary for Human Resources Affairs at MoHRE, said, “The increase in the private sector workforce is aligned to the remarkable growth of the UAE’s economy. This is also in line with the government’s policies and strategic initiatives that reinforce the nation’s status and active role in the international economic ecosystem, which is also highlighted by numerous reports by international economic organisations.”

He noted that the results reaffirm the competitiveness of the UAE’s job market, “which nurtures a wealth of human resources capable of supporting the national economic diversification drive in line with the strategic growth plans.”

“The increase in the total private sector workforce reflects the UAE’s job market’s attractiveness as a global destination for capabilities and expertise. We’ll keep enhancing the legislative framework of the job market with a focus on protecting the rights of employees and employers alike,” he said.

The report revealed that MoHRE issued 537,974 new work permits during Q2, 2022, an increase of 27 percent over Q2, 2021. On the other hand, in Q2, 2022, there was an eight percent decrease in the cancellation of work permits, compared to Q2, 2021, amounting to 301,569 cancelled permits.

The report’s findings also showed that the construction sector accounted for the largest chunk of new work permits issued by MoHRE during Q2, 2022, followed by the business services sector, the trade and repair services sector, the manufacturing sector and the hotels and restaurants sector.

Twenty-six percent of the total private sector workforce registered with MoHRE are in the construction sector, followed by 21 percent in the trade and repair services sector, and 19 percent in the business services sector.

In comparison with the results of Q2, 2021, the agriculture sector marked the largest growth in the number of new work permits issued at an increase of 70 percent, followed by social and personal services at a growth rate of 62 percent, the business services sector at 44 percent and the financial intermediatory services sector at 43 percent.

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Nearly 50% more Indian workers went to Gulf this year

Global food producers boost participation at Gulfood 2022

Only 94,145 emigration clearances were issued during that year. It worked out to about half the number of clearances so far this year…reports Asian Lite News

Reverse migration of workers from Gulf countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended and an increase of nearly 50 percent in fresh migration to the GCC has been recorded in the first seven months of this year compared to the whole of 2021, according to statistics presented to India’s Parliament.

V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, in response to queries on migration from members told the Lok Sabha, the lower House of Parliament, that from January to the end of July 2022, a total of 189,206 emigration clearances were issued for the Gulf. This compared with 132,763 emigration clearances for all of the previous year.

“Economic recovery in the Gulf region and their increasing openness to travel from India has now seen a return by many Indian workers,” the Minister said. Because of the pandemic, 2020 was the worst year for migration to the Gulf. Only 94,145 emigration clearances were issued during that year. It worked out to about half the number of clearances so far this year.

Emigration clearance is required from the Indian government for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers as well as certain professionals such as nurses, notified from time to time, for taking up employment in 18 countries including the GCC states. Such clearance is not required for Indians who are educated above class 10 unless their profession is notified by the Protector of Emigrants.

Indians who have already worked abroad for three years, income taxpayers and some other categories of Indians also do not need emigration clearance prior to travel.

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-Top News Europe

Workers on strike at two airports in Paris

Passengers may anticipate flight delays on Wednesday, the airport authority said…reports Asian Lite News

Workers of two airports in Paris, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, are going on strike on Wednesday and Thursday to demand higher wages, the airport authority Paris Airports announced.

Paris Airports on Wednesday suggests passengers be at airport at least three hours before an international flight and two hours before a domestic or medium-haul flight, since there will be a longer queue waiting time, Xinhua news agency reported.

Passengers may anticipate flight delays on Wednesday, the airport authority said.

The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has requested airlines to reduce their flight programme on Thursday to and from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Paris Airports also announced that one quarter of flights will be canceled on Thursday. Passengers are asked to check with their airline for the flight schedule.

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UN calls South Sudan to protect aid workers

UN calls South Sudan to protect aid workers

The UN relief agency has called on South Sudan to protect communities, humanitarian personnel and assets across the country after the killing of three aid workers…reports Asian Lite News

Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan and Arafat Jamal, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim (a.i.) who condemned the incident, which occurred on Thursday, urged the perpetrators to respect international law and humanitarian staff and assets.

“This attack is completely unacceptable. This is not the first of these incidents in this area. Criminals who choose to use violence to serve themselves ensure vulnerable people suffer more. If humanitarians and humanitarian assets are not protected, humanitarian assistance to that area will have to stop,” Nyanti said in a joint statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Friday evening.

A convoy of commercial trucks carrying vital life-saving food commodities from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was attacked between Gadiang and Yuai in Jonglei state on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Three people on the convoy were killed, and one person was wounded.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan is currently visiting donor capitals to raise the profile of the needs of people in South Sudan and advocating for support.

“When humanitarian assistance is attacked, it is the people in need who suffer. Indeed, such incidents discourage those donor countries who would otherwise invest in South Sudan,” she said.

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Jamal on his part called on the government to immediately implement its commitments to ensure civilians, including humanitarians, are safe.

“I have unfailing admiration for everyone who helps and supports people in need. It is devastating to realise that people undertaking vital work can be executed so heartlessly. The crime is compounded when these attacks go unpunished. These killers must not be allowed to roam free,” he said.

South Sudan, which is one of the most dangerous places for aid workers saw 319 violent incidents reported in 2021 targeting humanitarian personnel and assets, with five aid workers killed, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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-Top News UK News

Job vacancies hit record high amid worker shortages

Though there’s a shortfall in workers, the statistics agency said the number of workers on payroll in the U.K. rose to a record 29.2 million in September as the British economy bounced back following the lifting of restrictions…reports Asian Lite News.

Job vacancies in the UK rose to a record high of nearly 1.2 million, official figures showed Tuesday, a further sign that the British economy is experiencing worker shortages in an array of sectors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Following weeks of long lines at gas stations as motorists struggle to fill up their cars amid a shortage of truck drivers to deliver the fuel and empty shelves at supermarkets, the Office for National Statistics pointed to shortages across the whole economy, including hospitality and transport.

It’s become increasingly evident in recent weeks that the British economy is experiencing shortages of labor, and not just of truck drivers. The causes are widespread but it’s clear that the combination of Brexit and the pandemic prompted many EU workers to leave the U.K. and head home.

The Institute for Employment Studies estimates that the U.K. has a shortfall of 900,000 workers between the number of people in the labor market now and what would have been expected based on pre-pandemic trends.

“This is being driven by large falls in participation for older people and young people, alongside continued wide employment gaps for disabled people and those with health conditions,” said IES director Tony Wilson.

Though there’s a shortfall in workers, the statistics agency said the number of workers on payroll in the U.K. rose to a record 29.2 million in September as the British economy bounced back following the lifting of restrictions.

The International Monetary Fund forecast Tuesday that the U.K. will grow by 6.8% this year, more than any other Group of Seven industrial nation, and by a still-high 5% next. That means the economy will have recouped the 9.8% output lost during 2020 after the pandemic struck some time next year.

The increase in hiring and vacancies should help workers returning to the jobs market following the end of a salary support program at the end of last month, which the government introduced at the outset of the pandemic to keep a lid on job losses.

For much of the time that the Job Retention Scheme was in place, the government paid 80% of the salaries of those workers unable to work because of lockdown measures. At its peak, it helped support over 11 million people, but with many workers returning to their former jobs following the reopening of the economy, that fell to a little more than 1 million.

The unemployment figures provided further evidence that the program did what it was intended to. The statistics agency found that the U.K.’s rate of unemployment also fell further to 4.5% between June and August, down from 4.6% in the quarter to July.

Wages rose steeply again, with average weekly earnings up 7.2% with bonuses or 6% without bonuses in the three months to August. However, the agency stressed that the figures continue to be skewed by the impact of the pandemic on wages a year ago.

With inflation set to hit 4% in the coming months and productivity levels low, there are worries that wages will soon be running below price rises, further pressuring household incomes at a time when the tax burden is at its highest level in decades.

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

Isolation rules eased for critical workers in UK

The government said this is a small and targeted intervention to ensure that services critical to the safety and functioning of our society can continue…reports Asian Lite News.

Fully vaccinated critical workers to be able to leave self-isolation in exceptional circumstances under new plans to prevent serious disruption to vital public services.

Railway signallers and air traffic controllers are among the critical workers who may in exceptional circumstances be able to leave self-isolation to attend work if deemed a close contact under new plans to prevent serious disruption to vital public services.

The government said this is a small and targeted intervention to ensure that services critical to the safety and functioning of our society can continue.

This means enabling individuals to attend work where not doing so would lead to major detrimental impact on the availability, integrity or delivery of essential services.

This include those services whose integrity, if compromised, could result in significant loss of life or casualties, and/or where there is an immediate risk to defence or security.

“Throughout this global pandemic, critical workers across the country have been doing the extraordinary by delivering vital services – from policing the streets to keeping our transport links open,” Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said.

“These individuals form the backbone of many of our most vital services and, as we learn to live with this virus, it’s right we do everything in our power to protect services from disruption by allowing our fully vaccinated critical workers to keep doing their important work.”

This will only apply to workers who are fully vaccinated – defined as someone who is 14 days post-final dose – and will be solely so that they can attend work. They will otherwise need to continue to self-isolate as directed by NHS Test and Trace.

It applies to asymptomatic contacts only and not individuals who have tested positive or who have Covid-19 symptoms.

Critical workers who attend work in these exceptional circumstances will need to take a PCR test as soon as possible followed by daily LFD tests before attending work each day of their self-isolation period.

If they test positive or start to show symptoms they must immediately self-isolate and will no longer be able to attend work.

The government said this is a short-term measure before the exemption for fully vaccinated contacts is introduced on 16 August.

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