Bulletin
COVID-19 Concern Update March 16-2020
March 16, 2020
To: MoveUP members at ICBC
We have been receiving a great deal of emails and calls from members at ICBC with concerns and questions about ICBC’s response and our support with respect to the spread of COVID-19. No question, this is an incredibly stressful time for all of us. As a team, the officers and staff at MoveUP, are trying to respond personally to all inquiries and are seeking clarity from your employer when needed.
Obviously, things are changing fast. Reports and governmental recommendations are changing daily. We are working extra hard to keep up with what is real; what might happen tomorrow or the next day; and of course, what is just outright misinformation.
Here is what we can report today:
- We are talking to ICBC daily to try and assess what the next move is for staff, and who are most at risk. Everyone is important and everyone has a unique circumstance, but we are trying to prioritize our efforts to be most effective and efficient. Right now, we view the most at risk as the front line, public facing employees, such as the Driver Examiners, Customer Service Representatives, Receptionists and anyone who is in close physical proximity with members of the public.As well, we are working to support those with compromised immunity and health concerns, or those who have returned from a trip outside Canada. It is our understanding, as of right now, that there are no cases of COVID-19 within the staff at ICBC and we want to keep it that way.
- If you have returned from a trip outside Canada, you must call your manager prior to returning to work. As you have likely heard, regardless of if you are sick or not, you must self isolate for 14 days prior to returning to work. You need to discuss your situation with your manager. It is our understanding that they are looking for ways for people to work from home if they are not sick but need to be self isolated. If you and your manager can not find a way to work out your specific situation, please contact a job steward in your area. They will work with you and one of our Union Representatives to try and find a solution, but first, you must talk to your manager.
- At MoveUP, we are working closely with ICBC to try and mitigate the effects of the crisis on the staff. We know that we are just at the start, so we ask for some patience while we deal with the most pressing problems that are coming our way.Under our collective agreement, we have an obligation for cooperation for catastrophic events. I think we can all agree that we are in one right now. Many people have asked if we are supportive of work from home full time right now. Absolutely! These are definitely extraordinary times and we need to be creative and quick in our responses to this crisis. We have told ICBC the same thing and are working with them on issues of logistics for equipment. If there are other things we can do that will help during this time, we will most definitely consider them.
- Stay home if sick – no matter what the illness. We know that ICBC staff are diligent and want to continue to look after the customers and be there for their coworkers. And we know that many people come to work when they have a mild cold or symptoms that appear innocuous at the time. But with so much stress and coverage about the symptoms of COVID-19, which are in many ways similar to a cold or influenza, we are asking people to stay home if you are sick. We have sick leave in our collective agreement which is meant for you to be home when sick, so you can focus on getting better quickly. Staying home on sick leave when you are not well will help keep your coworkers safe from what ever bacteria or virus you may have, and it will help stop some of the fear and worry that coworkers feel when they find out someone is at work and sick.So again, if you are sick, please call your manager, let them know you are not well and stay home. If you suspect you may have COVID-19, please call 811 and self isolate yourself from your coworkers, family and friends.
- EFAP is available for all staff if they are feeling stress or anxiety during this time. We encourage members to take advantage of this service by calling 1-866-644-0326.
Please know that we are working hard at this end and thinking of all the members at ICBC to make sure you are safe and your risk of exposure to COVID-19 is mitigated as much as possible.
In solidarity,
Annette Toth, Vice-President
Kevin Smyth, Senior Union Representative
Trevor Hansen, Union Representative
Yudon Garie, Union Representative
Scott Wilcox, Union Representative