The printing industry is being urged to contact local MPs and plead their case as an essential service which would protect operations and allow them to continue should further shutdowns be enforced to fight COVID-19.
The national cabinet and health experts are meeting tonight to discuss further shutdowns in addition to the ones already imposed on places of large social gatherings including bars, pubs, restaurants, gyms and places of worship in a bid to stem infection rates and take pressure off hospitals.
CMYKhub founder Clive Denholm has come out of retirement to lend a hand during this crisis and is urging all printers to urgently inform state and federal MPs of the importance of print so it can be classified as an essential service and stay open.
Without print there would be no hospital forms, pharmaceutical labels, food labels and packaging, menus for the countless restaurants that now rely on home delivery and important signage to advise people to wash their hands and keep their social distance at this time of crisis.
“This is a crucial industry, an essential industry,” Denholm told Sprinter, adding printers should email local MPs today to push the case for an essential service classification.
“I am worried that we might get caught up in that shutdown so whatever we can do as an industry to remind politicians right now that this is what print does and there is a lot of trade printers that print these products like labels for packaging, menus, hospital forms that they can easily be run with social distancing.
“CMYKhub has split shifts, they have stopped transfers between factories, they have buffer zones so they are running probably best practice as far as that is concerned. At the other end of the scale, a graphic designer could ring the local business they are normally dealing with and say look I can modify your menu, do it on the computer at home, send them a proof, they can send that in to any trade printer, it gets printed and delivered back to the customer with no risk of increasing social contact.
“That is the message that we need to get across and when they say that supermarkets are not going to close down, I think we need print on that list ideally.”
Denholm says he has sent some emails off to politicians but he believes all printers out there should do the same.
“I think as an industry group if we could suggest that now is a great time to email your local politician and remind him or her that when they are laying in bed in isolation the form at the bottom of the bed was printed by a printer.”
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Does anyone have a “template” email/letter that could put forward for everyone to use? I think people will be more willing to do this if they can copy, paste and adapt to their individual circumstances. Makes it easier, quicker, and probably would have better structure.
Dear xxxx
In this time of national emergency print has a vital role to play. Print will provide clear and accessible instructions, guidance and information for the public.
Print is an essential service, I would urge you recognise this as such, and communicate that to the government.
We are ready and able to help in this national emergency, but to do so the presses have to keep rolling.
Please ensure print is on the government’s essential services listing. We are ready to meet the challenge.
Sincerely
Credit: Print21 Article
Great comment Martin. This is a letter I have drafted that meets the government guidelines for addressing MP’s. I encourage everyone to utilise this format and even personalise it by adding information about yourself, your circumstances and details on how an industry closure will affect you, your business and employees.
Find your local MP here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Members
Alia Trufitt
Qld Business Development Manager
CMYKhub Qld Pty Ltd
_________________
Your Name
Residential Address
Telephone Number
Date
Your local MP’s name
Ministerial position (if applicable)
Address
Dear (Mr / Ms / Minister),
Print is essential in a crisis – our industry is in your (clean) hands
I am writing to ask you to support the printing and packaging industry through this pandemic by immediately recognising and declaring our industry an essential service.
Print is essential in everyday life and will be imperative in helping the nation through this crisis by supplying such items as hygiene and safety signage, medical forms, pharmaceutical packaging and information pamphlets.
Print is the most reliable and affordable medium to communicate hygiene practices, social distancing and other societal changes as they arise to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Our industry can readily adhere to the governments strict social distancing and hygiene guidelines and is considered low risk as we can operate with minimal to no public contact.
I request that you raise this issue with both state and federal members as a matter of urgency to enable continued and uninterrupted supply of essential services throughout the country.
Yours faithfully,
(Insert your full name)