Further to SWA's update on the Scottish Government’s clarification of “essential businesses”, which included those in the production, sale and distribution of food please download the below template letter for your employees. We suggest you print this onto your own letterhead, sign and give to your employees as ID for travelling to/from work. We are aware that the Police have already started stopping the public to ask where they are travelling to. Having this ID on them will hopefully help prove that they are travelling as ‘essential workers’.

On the Food Resilience Group call with Scottish Government, Fergus Ewing was asked by industry to produce a generic SG approved ID/pro-forma document for employees. While we await the publication of this, please use this template as your temporary employee ID.

SWA suggest that this letter could also be used in support of getting children into local school/childcare (see below).

School & ELC Closures: Key Workers Update

The SG has update their guidance setting out what childcare and learning provision they expect to be made available to key workers during closures of school and early learning and childcare (ELC) settings to deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Full details can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus---school-and-elc-closures-guidance-on-critical-childcare-provision-for-key-workers/

Wholesalers and their employees fall between Category 2 and Category 3 – All workers (private, public or third sector) without whom there could be a significant impact on Scotland (but where the response to COVID-19, or the ability to perform essential tasks to keep the country running, would not be severely compromised).   

SWA suggest that the attached ‘essential travel’ letter may help employers/employees be identified as ‘essential worker’…while still not key workers it helps in the argument to the Council/School.