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BL Premium reports that according to the Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA), a decision by the government to end its flagship Covid-19 wage protection scheme would be devastating for the hospitality sector, where about three quarters of employees are either dependent on the scheme or have already been retrenched.
The state looks set for a battle with business and labour unions after news emerged that the National Coronavirus Command Council had decided that the Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) should not be extended past mid-September. This was despite ongoing discussions on an extension at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) and SA’s national state of disaster for Covid-19 having been extended to 15 November. About three quarters of those who were directly employed by the tourism industry at the start of 2020 were probably either already on Ters or some sort of unemployment benefit, according to TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa. He said hospitality and tourism were still the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, pointing to a tough festive season. CEO of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa), Lee Zama, said about 600,000 employees in the industry had relied on Ters, and it had yet to recover. “The abrupt termination goes against the spirit with which the government introduced this relief. This is SA workers’ own contribution over the years and is designated for such purpose,” said Zama.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Karl Gernetzky at BusinessLive
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