City Press reports that as cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus continue to rise in SA, workers’ unions are making their voices heard.
They are demanding that the ministries of health and employment and labour enforce more rigorous preventive measures for workers in the first line of contact with patients and revisit legislation around paid leave. These demands are expected to take centre stage when the government – in particular the ministers of employment and labour, health, public service and administration, as well as Treasury – meet the trade unions at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council on Tuesday. Top of the agenda at the meeting will be the possible effects of Covid-19 on the labour sector, as well as discussions on the disputed proposal by the finance minister to curb the public sector wage bill. Nehawu’s Khaya Xaba indicated that although the department of health had given unions the assurance that further training on the prevention of the virus would be extended to health workers, it had not happened. Both Nehawu and the Health & Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) will use Tuesday’s meeting to demand the provision of protective clothing and gear for health workers and employees at all major ports of entry, all of whom stand a greater risk of being infected. Unions have accused Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize of briefing the media on the state of affairs regarding the virus but neglecting the unions, the members of which were the ones at the forefront of providing help to those who might have been infected. Yet another concern raised by the unions at the behest of their members was remuneration and how it might be disrupted if workers had to be put in quarantine. Union federation Fedusa has called on the employment and labour minister to gazette a special policy that would activate a special Unemployment Insurance Fund.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Juniour Khumalo on page 8 of City Press of 15 March 2020
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page