ALP Coronavirus Support Page

Labour providers are playing a vital role in ensuring the supply chain has the workers it needs to keep the nation fed and supplied with essentials. ALP is fully committed to supporting our members and our industry by:

• Understanding and responding to the impact of the virus across our sector and coordinating responses
• Publishing regular member updates and public guidance ensuring a clear, consistent message
• Directly engaging with government, trade bodies, retailers and other key contacts

All ALP members – sign up here to join the ALP Member Support Forum on the second Wednesday of each month at 3pm

Guidance and Resources

Public Health

1. All government guidance is available on the coronavirus pages of gov.uk and for the devolved administrations on:  Scotland; Wales; Northern Ireland.
2. Posters, leaflets and other resources – to download or order from Public Health England’s’ Campaign Resource Centre
3. Tests – all workers can book a COVID-19 test here. Employers can refer staff using an employer portal.  Accounts for this portal can be requested by emailing portalservicedesk@dhsc.gov.uk. See more details for Test and Trace in England, Test and Protect in Scotland, Test, Trace Protect in Wales and Testing and Tracing for COVID-19 in Northern Ireland.
4. The COVID-19 contain framework sets out how local authorities and national government will work together to effectively target local interventions while seeking to avoid a return to a national lockdown.
5. Information on additional local restrictions in England and Scotland.
6. Government guidance on which businesses can open in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
7. ALP Risk Control Checklists for employers and labour providers collate the actions that government guidance requires businesses to put in place to ensure that workplaces are safe, covering:
   • Offices and Branches Risk Control Checklist 
   • Factories, plants and warehouses Risk Control Checklist. See also additional government guidance covering Food businesses and workplace canteens
   • Outdoor Work Risk Control Checklist. See also Best practices to avoid spread of COVID-19 for seasonal workers on fruit and vegetable farms
   • Vehicle Working Risk Control Checklist. Also government guidance on transport is available here and ALP has produced Providing safer transport to workers.  Department for Transport has produced some new resources relevant to workers who are car sharing.
   • ALP Brief 232 – Potential Coronavirus related Health and Safety Claims describes the type of claims employers and labour providers are at risk from if they fail to provide a Covid-19 safe working environment.
8. Travel – see Country-by-country breakdown with advice about travelling abroad.
   • Government Safer air travel guidance for passengers and TravelHealthPro website
   • Arrivals from abroad are required to fill in a contact locator form  and self-isolate for 14 days from arrival unless travelling from one of the listed destinations. The list of exempted countries is slightly different for Scotland.
   • Government has published a list of exemptions, including seasonal agricultural workers with an offer of employment for seasonal work to carry out specific activities in edible horticulture on a named farm. See Template exemption justification letter for seasonal agricultural workers.
9. COVID Winter Response Guidance for Food, Horticulture and Agriculture
10. Different rules for wearing face coverings apply in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
11. ALP template employer and labour provider daily coronavirus check form.
12. Multiple cases of coronavirus within the same business – Contact the local Public Health office in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland who will advise on what further actions may need to be taken. COVID-19 early outbreak management information has been created to make sure that businesses know how to recognise and report an incident of coronavirus.

Employment Guidance

1. Coronavirus related workplace scenarios – Coronavirus Scenarios – Quick Reference for Labour Providers
2. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Agency Workers – open ALP brief 223. Government guidance – Claim for wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
3. ‘Redundancy Support Fixed Fee Service’ – JMW Solicitors LLP are offering ALP members a fixed fee package in relation to redundancy. Please email Paul.Chamberlain@jmw.co.uk.
4. Recruitment into UK Seasonal Agricultural work – ALP Summary Paper May 2020
5. Statutory Sick Pay – SSP for Agency Workers with Coronavirus Joint recruitment industry letter to the Financial Secretary, on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Impact – Extension of Coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme
6. Find out about taxable expenses and benefits when they are paid to workers because of coronavirus and how to report them to HMRC.
7. ALP Guidance on increased costs – Increased costs for the provision of labour during the Coronavirus Pandemic
8. ALP remote and safer interviewing guidance. See Home Office, Coronavirus (COVID-19): right to work checks
9. Pay Advances, Employer Loans and the National Minimum Wage – HMRC guidance
10. Working Time Directive – Existing exemptions within the Working Time Regulations 1998 provide flexibility where the worker’s activities are affected by unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond the employer’s control, or exceptional events the consequences of which could not have been avoided despite the exercise of all due care by the employer (regulation 21(e)). Where this applies, the requirements around rest breaks, daily and weekly rest and night work do not apply. However the employer must provide compensatory rest, or if this is not possible take other measures to ensure a safe working environment.’
11. Universal Credit and Benefits Claims – People can make applications for benefits online if they are eligible – https://www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit.
12. New guidance for employers and third-party healthcare providers on the regulations and legal obligations of running testing programmes.

Government Support for Business

1. Government Covid-19 Business Support area including an online tool to find what financial support may be available for your business and case studies and blog posts about coronavirus business support.
2. OUR PLAN TO REBUILD: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy– which sets out the government’s roadmap for how and when the UK will adjust its response to the Covid-19 crisis.
3. Plan for Jobs – government has set aside up to £30bn for boosting the jobs market including: job retention bonuses for employers bringing back furloughed workers, the Kickstart Scheme which subsidises jobs for young people and employer bonuses for hiring apprentices.
4. DWP Employer Help website– Help for employers with COVID-19 challenges. The website signposts employers to advice on best ways to support staff whether they are expanding rapidly, or worried about redundancies.
5. A list of the rules that have been temporarily relaxed to make it easier for businesses to continue working through the disruption caused by coronavirus, including changes to annual leave, and right to work checks and applications for National Insurance Numbers.
6. Additional government resources to support your business during coronavirus disruptions, including helplines, webinars and training.
7. Department for Education coronavirus helpline – DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk 0800 046 8687 (8am-6pm Monday-Friday). This helpline will be able to advise on questions regarding apprentices in the workplace, as well as any education and children’s social care enquiries.
8. The Business Support website includes a list of businesses representative organisation and trade associations from a wide range of sectors, including ALP, many of which are providing sector specific guidance and Q&A alongside the information that is available on gov.uk.
9. Access additional resources from public bodies, organisations and charities.
10. HMRC tax helpline to help businesses concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19). The number is 0800 0159 559.
11. The Recovery Advice for Business scheme, supported by the government and hosted on the Enterprise Nation website, gives small firms access to free, one-to-one advice with an expert adviser to help them through the coronavirus pandemic and to prepare for long-term recovery.