Covid in the UK

Currently the UK is in the throes of the expected second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The management of the restrictions on the population has been left to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, while England is under the control of the central government of Westminster.

The first lockdown in March closed all non-essential businesses and services to restrict people’s movements to curtail the spread of the disease. Measures were rushed through in order to provide income for those workers officially furloughed, while many employers rushed to take part in this government subsidy of their workforce. The state was to pay 80% of their salaries, up to a fixed limit. It was initially set to end in September, then extended until the end of October. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said that the new Job Support Scheme would not be so generous, and that laid-off employees would receive only two-thirds of their salaries, mostly paid by the state, but after complaints from employers, the Labour Party, and the trade unions, the furlough scheme was extended until the end of March 2021.

By late summer layoffs were taking place in the aviation, tourism, hospitality, and consumer sectors, as the decline in economic activity led to employment “shakeout” and businesses going bust. Redundancies, and the rise in unemployment, were climbing in their hundreds of thousands.

Conservatives and business interests claimed that the national lockdown was too restrictive, as some areas were not so badly affected, and that some businesses should be allowed to operate. That is where the localized, decentralized approach to travel and personal contact restrictions came in. Each of the four countries of the United Kingdom came up with its own levels of restrictions in tiers – England has three tiers, Scotland has five tiers, Wales opted for a 17 day “fire-break” which ended recently, Northern Ireland is busily enacting harsh restrictions.

The three-tier system in England was initially applied to the Greater Liverpool area, then quickly extended to central Lancashire, then Manchester, and then more generally across the North of England. London and other areas moved into the second tier, with others being added to the list. Then Westminster ordered another four-week Lockdown, which is due to expire on December 2.

Government plans for the furlough scheme to run until the end of March 2021 have been greeted with enthusiasm by all sections of the capitalist establishment, from businesses to the Labour Party and the trade union leaders. Vast sums have been borrowed to keep the economy – that is, employers – in one piece. The state is concerned for the future of these capitalist organizations, and the workers will have to survive as best that they can. The question of who will pay for this economic burden has yet to be answered. Already the Chancellor of the Exchequer has suggested a three-year pay freeze in the public sector, on the basis that there has been a decline in pay levels in the private sector. There will be a push to get the economy working again, with the unemployed being pushed into whatever jobs are open.