Union claims 110 Covid cases at DVLA Swansea in one week

PCS have claimed 110 cases of Covid have been reported this week, with the figure higher than the one from last year

There have been 110 cases of Covid reported by DVLA staff in Swansea this week, a union has claimed.

Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union say the daily figure was higher than last year when the site was a "breakout" site according to health authorities.

PCS also say they are worried some Covid safety measures could be abandoned.

The DVLA said they haven't relaxed any safety measures.

There were 35 new cases reported on 6 January, according to PCS.

The union also claimed the automated line where DVLA employees report their absences was "full up" because so many were trying to call.

Last April, staff at the DVLA in Swansea went on a four-day strike following Covid concerns.

It came after Public Health Wales declared a Covid-19 outbreak at the DVLA's Llansamlet contact centre in December, following more than 350 cases at that site.

The DVLA employs around 6,000 people in Swansea. It said the safety of its staff is paramount and that it continues to work closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea Environmental Health and the Health and Safety Executive, who have repeatedly confirmed a high level of compliance with control measures across all of their sites.

It added: "Staff whose roles mean they don't have to be on site are working from home and, on any given day, more people are at home than are working on site."

'Members suffered'

The Union said there has been in excess of 1700 cases of Covid at DVLA since the start of the pandemic

PCS said DVLA management had agreed measures with the union before Christmas to allow "higher levels of working from home as well as a rota system to reduce numbers on the Swansea/Morriston site."

Andrew Lloyd, PCS National Officer said: "We breathed a sigh of relief as just before Christmas management of the DVLA appeared not to want to repeat the mistakes they made previously.

"Hearing that these measures maybe abandoned because this Omicron strain is milder is deeply worrying, our members have suffered enough, their anxiety levels are through the roof,

"If the new measures are not put in place then undoubtedly members may respond as they have before."

The union said there had been in excess of 1700 cases of Covid at DVLA since the start of the pandemic.

'Stringent safety measures'

A spokesperson for the DVLA said: "The number of positive cases at DVLA mirror infection rates in the local community which is to be expected as most of our staff are from the local community, these positive cases include staff working from home.

"We have stringent safety measures on site for those staff who deal with customer calls and also open, process and despatch the 60,000 items of mail we receive every day."