Coronavirus: Northern Ireland workers ‘in limbo’ after Boris Johnson travel to work instruction

Boris Johnston made the statement on Monday night as he announced a virtual UK lockdown, but it has left companies and staff here in a state of confusion.

A heating engineer told the News Letter that his firm told him he can’t work from home so they expect him in but he’s reluctant to continue to work unless it is an emergency call.

The engineer’s partner works in a hospital and he has two children to look after now schools are closed. His daughter’s primary school has shut completely and the other child is not yet of school age.

He added that workers “don’t know where we stand at the moment”.

“I’m on call for emergency calls only, but what do you class as an emergency call?” he said. “We’re expected to go face to face with Joe Bloggs who may potentially have coronavirus.

“I don’t know whether we’re going to be paid if we’re sitting in the house waiting or is it only going to be for the calls we take?

“The big thing is childcare. My partner is frontline NHS and the advice was speak to your school but our daughter’s primary school is completely closed.

“My partner is needed on the front line so am I going to have to take unpaid time off work to mind the kids?

“The NHS staff are more important. If I have to take time off work to let her go to work to care for people then so be it. That’s what needs to be done. This is an emergency.”

A contractor for a major gas supplier shared his concerns about pay and worried if he refused work now the firm may not give him any after the crisis ends.

He said: “If I went furloughed I would get 80% of my wage paid by government and 20% topped up by my employer if he wants to.

“My employer won’t want me to do that as I won’t be able to work and that could have a knock-on effect when this is over. Our client could say you didn’t help us out during the coronavirus so we’re not giving you the jobs any more.

“I’m in a new house and I need my wages. I’ve work there to be done but it’s not essential.

“If I do work then what do I do? If I only get three breakdown calls a week that’s only £300 – that’s not my normal wage.

“It would be less than what the government would be paying me if I went furlough. I don’t want to leave people without gas but I need to look out for myself at the same time.”

A contractor for a telecommunications firm said the decision was being left up to workers whether they go into a customer’s house when out on a call to fix a fault.

He also said there had been talk of sending in staff in bio hazard suits to do essential jobs where there is a risk of catching the virus.