East of England Co-op joins calls for essential retail workers to be prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine

A letter to all MPs in parliament urging them to prioritise those working on the retail frontline, such as supermarkets, local convenience stores and funeral services, in the next phase of the vaccine programme.

To all MPs in parliament

I am writing to urge you to prioritise those working on the retail frontline, such as supermarkets, local convenience stores and funeral services, in the next phase of the vaccine programme.

The majority of our 126 food stores are smaller, convenience stores and in many cases are the only shop in their community. Throughout the pandemic, our customers have relied upon us to keep our stores stocked and open for truly essential retail – buying the food they need to feed themselves and their families.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible work of our frontline colleagues.They have worked tirelessly under extremely challenging circumstances to provide a safe retail environment for our customers to buy food.

As a business we have invested heavily to ensure we comply with the guidelines – from installing screens at every till to introducing enhanced in-branch cleaning regimes, and doing everything we can to ensure mask wearing, social distancing and hygiene guidelines are adhered to. Despite all of these measures, our colleagues remain at greater risk of catching the virus due to the very nature of their customer facing roles.

In addition to the measures noted above, we have today announced that we will ensure that no frontline colleague is forced to choose between attending work or attending a vaccination appointment. All of our 4,000 frontline colleagues will receive either time off in-lieu, or full pay, to ensure they do not lose out when they attend their vaccination appointment. We are confident this will encourage our colleagues to receive this vital vaccination as soon as possible.

We welcome the news that our colleagues working on the frontline in funeral services, who on a daily basis are caring for those who have sadly lost their lives to the virus, are already on the list of ‘frontline healthcare staff for whom occupational immunisation with the Covid-19 vaccine is recommended’. We also welcome recent comments in the House of Commons, which show that shop workers have been recognised, alongside teachers and police, as those under consideration for vaccination in phase two of the prioritisation programme.

We are writing in support of the prioritisation of funeral staff for early vaccination, and to add our voice to those calling for frontline retail workers to be included in the next phase of vaccinations.

We sincerely hope that government will take this vital step to help protect those providing a vital service, helping to feed our nation in lockdown.

Yours sincerely,

Doug Field OBE

Joint Chief Executive
East of England Co-op