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SowetanLive reports that workers want to be allowed to down tools if their employers fail to provide them with masks and other protective gear in line with the national lockdown level 4 regulations aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus in the workplace.
Labour federation Cosatu made the call on Tuesday following an announcement by Minister of Employment & Labour Thulas Nxesi that companies that did not comply with the Covid-19 safety measures could face sanction and possible closure. Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said: "Workers should be empowered to down tools if they feel unsafe and employers should face punitive measures for not complying." He indicated that Cosatu had already raised this suggestion on many platforms. "It's already there in the Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996 as amended and the Occupational Health Safety Act, but we want it to be included in these ministerial directions in the context of the lockdown to make sure that workers are properly covered. The department is not well resourced and this is why workers should have a right to refuse to work. There are not enough inspectors to monitor all workplaces," Pamla said. The chief inspector for occupational health and safety, Tibor Szana, said they would be appointing 500 more inspectors to boost their 170 inspectors nationwide. He said the aim was not to go out to close companies, but to ensure that best practices in avoiding the spread of Covid-19 were complied with.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Isaac Mahlangu at SowetanLive
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