Delyn’s MS is looking to hear from workers about how the pandemic has changed the way they have worked.

In a digital survey which has launched this week, Labour’s Hannah Blythyn is asking constituents to share their experiences of how safe they have felt in the workplace, throughout the pandemic.

The Welsh Government was the first government in the UK to introduce measures which placed a duty on employers to ensure that they had explored all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of their staff, including social distancing, access to hand sanitiser, and reducing the number of staff in the workplace at any one time.

Earlier this year, following consultation with employers and trade unions, the Welsh Government strengthened the laws around safety in the workplace, particularly in supermarkets. These new laws extended the previous measures, to require all businesses with more than five employees to complete COVID-19 specific risk assessments. The measures also included ensuring appropriate PPE was available and face coverings were worn.

Launching the survey, Ms Blythyn said: “Feeling safe and protected in work is a basic right which each and every employee should have.

“Here in Wales we led the way on ensuring that employers took additional precautions to protect the health and safety of their employees, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to speak with employees and employers, about the additional measures they have introduced.

“Conscious that not everyone would have had a positive experience, I want to hear the voices of employees across our communities, to better understand the challenges that some may have faced.”

Late last year, in her government role, the Member of the Senedd launched a campaign to ensure that workers across Wales were aware of their employment rights.

The campaign, run by Welsh Government along with trade unions and bodies representing employers, such as the FSB and CBI, highlighted the benefits of everyone working collectively to make workplaces safer and more efficient spaces.

Speaking at the time, the Delyn MS and Deputy Minister said: “Having spent over a decade in the trade unions movement, I know first-hand the importance of workers and employers understanding their rights and responsibilities and the benefits that having access to expert advice and representation can bring.”

Prior to being elected, Ms Blythyn spent a number of years working for Unite the Union.

The survey can be completed at www.hannahblythyn.cymru/workers-experiences-covid-19.