Heroes of the year – Nissan workers making life-saving PPE
Following yesterday’s Minute of Reflection, UNITElive is featuring some of the top stories we have covered on the pandemic and our members’ contributions, concerns and achievements. We start with our versatile PPE-making members at Nissan, Sunderland
Reading time: 6 min
Today we honour workers at Nissan, Unite members, who got to work making life-saving PPE at the height of the first wave of the virus. Find out more in our feature below from May.
Paul Stuart, a Unite shop steward at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, has walked past the stone blocks with the metal nubs sticking out the top that are still common throughout the North East and other parts of the UK.
The stones are the remains of iron railings that were cut down during the Second World War effort.
Little did Paul know, as he passed them by, that he would one day play a part in a similar effort to defeat a common foe.
Paul, 40, is one of a number of Unite members and Nissan employees who have volunteered to produce life-saving personal protection equipment (PPE) for NHS frontline workers battling the coronavirus.
Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner hailed Nissan’s efforts, as well as those of the Unite members who have volunteered at the company.
“Nissan was one of the first major companies to answer the call made by Unite and our sister unions to create a manufacturing army to end shortages of masks, aprons and other life-saving equipment,” commented Steve.
‘Life-saving results’
“The company’s efforts in repurposing parts of their manufacturing capabilities have been matched by our members’ determination to produce vital PPE for frontline workers battling this terrible virus. Working together they are delivering outstanding and life-saving results.”
Hundreds of other manufacturers are also going the extra mile to the country in its time of need, said Turner, but he warned that more needs to be done.
“PPE is still in short supply and Covid19 will remain a threat for many months to come. To those firms who are yet to get involved, if you have the capacity and capability – and can keep your workers safe, we urge you to get involved,” Turner said.
“The government also has its part to play – these efforts need coordinating and encouraging if they are to have maximum impact. Following pressure from Unite, ministers have appointed Lord Deighton as PPE tsar.
“We expect Lord Deighton and the government to act quickly and turn an eager army into a productive one, to harness the full capabilities of UK PLC to ensure no more working people risking their lives to save ours go without the equipment needed to keep them safe.”
- This piece was first published on December 24, 2020
By Ryan Fletcher
