Mail & Guardian reports that French cosmetics company Oréal has been accused of exposing its Midrand factory workers to Covid-19.
According to the General Industrial Workers Union of SA (Giwusa), management at the plant has failed to mitigate the effects of a recent spate of infections, putting workers and their families at risk. The Thursday before last, the union held a lunchtime demonstration calling for the Midrand factory to shut down until the workplace was deemed clear of the virus. L’Oréal has confirmed that, as of 1 June, it had recorded 16 positive Covid-19 cases at the Midrand plant, but the company said it had taken the necessary steps to prevent further infection. However, workers said they believed not enough was done after the first case was identified. The union’s request that the plant be shut down immediately after the first case was reported was refused, one worker stated. Although some of the workers were told to self-isolate, these were only workers who had direct contact with their colleague who had tested positive, the worker claimed. Operations were indeed fully shut down for nine days, between 16 and 24 May. Giwusa pointed to those nine days — five days short of the maximum Covid-19 incubation period — as being inadequate: Instead of allowing the 14 days to expire, the company forced the workers to go for a retest, this time at a private facility, just to make sure that workers come back to work.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sarah Smit at Mail & Guardian
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