LIKE many other industries, the food industry has been shaken to its core during the outbreak of the coronavirus, with more confusion being transmitted than reassurance.  

Lockdown came into force on March 23, with no clear framework of support put in place for the vulnerable, those struggling with mental-health issues or those for whom the prospect of staying at home could be every bit as dangerous as the virus itself. 

In addition to this, the concept of “social distancing” seemed to be based on sketchy and subjective science and very difficult to enforce in a busy bakery or food-processing facility. 

If this wasn’t confusing enough, the daily briefs on state-sanctioned TV, issued by people with weird and wonderful connections to big pharma and corporations, have only served to give mixed messages and add to the chaos.

The initial announcement by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on furlough payments was met with joy and adoration among many. Many employers saw him as some kind of saviour to their businesses. 

However, the stark reality for many low-paid workers is that: if they were struggling week to week on 100 per cent of low pay, it was going to be nigh-on impossible to manage on a furlough payment of 80 per cent — which would inevitably leave countless workers in a financially precarious position to say the least, unless food and utility bills would also be reduced by 20 per cent, which they weren’t. 

In fact, staying at home will more likely increase household overheads. If that wasn’t bad enough, those of us paying attention won’t have missed Sunak’s proclamations that all the money will have to be paid back and that hardship is on the way. 

No prizes for guessing exactly where that hardship will fall. It’s likely that we’ll be bracing ourselves for a period of austerity and a transfer of wealth that will make the Cameron and Osborne era look like a golden age.

Although many employers have stuck to the line of “80 per cent of something is better than 100 per cent of nothing,” there have been many who have really stepped up to the plate and rewarded their workforces by ensuring that nothing changes to their pay structure during this situation. 

The likes of Warburtons, Greggs, Fox’s, Burtons and Allied Bakeries have ensured that the lockdown will have no detrimental effect on their earnings. 

Indeed, due mainly to the initial panic-buying of a frenzied and terrified public, a good number of these companies have enjoyed a spike in sales. 

I certainly hope that this is reflected in their next pay reviews.

However, for every Warburtons or Greggs, there are other employers whose audaciousness has been beyond the pale, as demonstrated by this message sent to one of our members from their employer: “Placing you on the furlough scheme would have additional admin costs to us as a business, and therefore we will have to let you go, but once the crisis is over, and customer numbers are up, we would be happy to re-employ you.”

One thing’s for sure: I don’t think there’s ever been a better or more important time to join a trade union and get organised ever in my lifetime.  

Many small bakeries and coffee shops, along with other businesses and countless self-employed people, are staring into the abyss as a result of the lockdown. 

A good number of them won’t be reopening any time soon, and their assets will inevitably be gobbled up by the banks, who always seem to win, regardless of any crisis. 

We can also expect some companies to use the virus as a vehicle to push automation in the industry and to attack terms and conditions, which will have the potential to decimate people’s lives even further. In fact, it’s already begun.

However, I hope that the various convenience stores, bakers, newsagents and butchers in our communities who have served us well during this pandemic are rewarded by our further custom when this is over, and that we steer clear of establishments linked to charlatans such as Gordon Ramsay, Tim Martin, Sports Direct and Britannia Hotels, to name but a few, whose conduct and attitude towards their staff have been utterly lamentable. 

I also hope that communities that have come together and looked out for one another, despite restrictions, continue to do so, and set the example for those who would rather look the other way.

There is an ironic thread to all of this, in that when the country had to determine exactly who “key” or “essential” workers were; the majority of them turned out to be some of the most underpaid, undervalued and demonised workers in the country. 

People were being encouraged to come outside and clap for NHS workers, who were labelled as “greedy” and “selfish” by government politicians and mainstream news outlets only a few years ago. 

To add insult to injury, despite the government’s Operation Cygnus simulation a few years ago, which allegedly highlighted frailties in the NHS, these same front-line staff have been under-resourced in terms of the basic PPE required in order to treat patients effectively. 

A great example of this is the current “hero” status of clickbait sensationalist Piers Morgan and the social media adoration given to him by a public that he has treated with utter contempt throughout his entire media career. 

This is a former employee of Rupert Murdoch, a Tory voter, married to the daughter of a former Tory MP, who once implied that junior doctors were greedy and whose privileged son was recently lambasted for mocking those who have struggled financially during the lockdown. 

This is a man who, lest we forget, oversaw phone-hacking and was sacked for using fake news to smear British soldiers. 

Shouting over the top of politicians and interrupting them for entertainment’s sake, rather than asking difficult, incisive questions from all areas of the debate, isn’t journalism. 

It shows just how low the bar is when this approach is considered to be “holding the government to account,” and I’m ashamed of some people in my profession who have stated that he’s “the official leader of the opposition.”

If we are holding out for a hero, I suggest we look elsewhere. 

Whatever side of the lockdown debate people are on, there’s no doubt that the political and media classes, along with many “experts,” have been absolutely wretched; and the fact that many billionaires such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Bill Gates have increased their wealth over the last few months has been very telling indeed. 

I dare say that the growing call for people to go back to work and get the economy moving will come as a great disappointment because, while millions of people around the world face unemployment, financial uncertainty, hardship and austerity: for them, the pandemic has been the best thing since sliced bread.

Mark McHugh is a regional officer of the Bakers Food & Allied Workers Union.