Swine flu

Urgent update: Docklands Light Railway has sacked a member of staff for having had swine flu and an accident at work! Unlike other companies (even London Underground!), DLR management has refused to discount swine flu absences from its sickness attendance policy. RMT's DLR branch is planning to hold an emergency meeting to launch a campaign to reverse this outrageous sacking.

John McDonnell, convener of the RMT Parliamentary Group, has tabled an Early Day Motion regarding Transport Workers and the Swine Flu epidemic. Please support this EDM 1959 by asking your local MP to sign. The full text of the EDM can be found here.

This resolution, submitted by Jubilee South and East London Line branch, was passed unanimously at the August Regional Council meeting.

This Branch/Regional Council believes that LUL management's consistent refusal to meet with the safety council and discuss a strategy for dealing with the outbreak of swine influenza is completely unacceptable.

Below is the company's (not the union's!) guidance on swine flu. Comments welcome!

Please find below our current response and actions you should take for staff that report sick with swine flu or flu like symptoms. This advice supersedes all previous advice with immediate effect. Please cascade this as necessary.

Employees that can prove that they had actual swine flu, and proof will be either a GP certificate or evidence of having been prescribed Tamiflu must be recorded as sick explanation accepted. This is strictly for those with proof. The SAP code for this is 160.

You'll probably be aware that Mayor Boris Johnson held a 'Swine Flu Summit' yesterday to address concerns. No trade unions were represented.

Meanwhile, LUL's Director of Safety is insisting there is no need to meet your safety representatives over the issue and that the entire thing is exaggerated.

Aside from the fact that the employer has a legal duty to consult safety representatives on your behalf, we believe the Director of Safety, Mike Strzelecki, to be improvident and irresponsible.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download a joint RMT/TSSA leaflet on swine flu from your London Underground Stations & Revenue Health & Safety Council reps. Read the text below.

Influenza A (H1N1) – Swine Flu Update.

“...once a fully fit pandemic virus emerges, its further international spread is unstoppable”. Dr Margaret Chan, WHO

"National incidence of influenza-like illness increased for all regions and is now evident in all age groups." Royal College of GPs

This document is attached as a PDF. Read the text below.

Introduction

Pandemic influenza is very different from, and far more serious than, the usual seasonal influenza outbreaks that happen every year. A pandemic is an outbreak that may affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, leading to a large proportion of them becoming ill. Pandemic flu occurs when a new influenza virus emerges that is very different from ordinary seasonal flu and, because it is new, people have very little or no immunity to it. There are normally around two to three such pandemics every century. The most recent pandemic was in 1968 and affected mainly the young and the elderly. An earlier outbreak in 1918 caused an estimated 20-40 million deaths worldwide, most of which occurred among people aged between 20 and 45.

Circular No IR/213/09 Our Ref: BR1/0312

You will be aware that in recent weeks that there have been many news reports regarding the outbreak of a new strain of subtype H1N1 influenza, commonly called swine flu, hog flu or pig flu, and the fears that this disease may become a major global pandemic. In line with recent Government warnings the General Grades Committee has discussed the possible impact on RMT members. At their meeting of 15th July 2009 the General Grades Committee took the follow decision:-

TRANSPORT UNION RMT warned today of severe pressures on staffing levels and serious safety risks across the transport system as experts advised that up to 40% of the population could become ill with the swine flu over the coming weeks.

Transport workers are known to be at greater risk of infection as they tend to work in close contact with the public and colleagues, and often in confined spaces like trains, buses, the Underground, ferries and offices.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download.

"We hope the virus fizzles out, because if it doesn't we are heading for a big outbreak...I'm not predicting the pandemic will blow up, but if I miss it and we don't prepare, I fail. I'd rather over-prepare than not prepare". WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan

Since our last circular regarding Influenza A (H1N1) or Swine Flu we have met up with Directors of Safety from LUL (and Metronet) and Tubelines to discuss the matter (06/05/09).

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download a leaflet from your RMT health & safety reps about swine flu.

The World Health Organisation, backed by Western leaders, argues that pandemics can be contained by the rapid responses of medical bureaucracies. The idea is that the strain is identified and then dealt with by local populations getting enough anti-viral drugs.

Rather than working together to produce a vaccination for each new flu strain, which is unprofitable for the pharmaceutical companies because many new flu strains don’t reach pandemic level, governments tend to rely on generic anti-virals such as Tamiflu.

Swine Flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease.

Influenzas are classified into three major genera: A, B and C. Over thousands of years Influenzas B and C have been domesticated by long circulation in human populations. The Influenza C is a cause of the common cold for instance and B produces a classic winter flu.