Health and Jobs At Risk During Covid-19 Lock Down

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union(F.A.W.U.) has noted that the instruction by the President Ramaphosa for a 21-day lockdown has led to the initiative between business formations and the government to establish measures to curb the spread of corona virus. It appears however that this has, in turn, opened an avenue for employers to put workers at risk in terms of their health, with some even risking losing their jobs. FAWU also noted that several companies all of a sudden claimed to be manufacturing key food products that must operate during the lockdown. It is even more disconcerting that trade unions and workers were not consulted during this process seeing the uncertainty workers faced after the announcement of the lockdown. We are receiving many calls from members who, initially, flowing from the ministerial briefing, were made aware that there will be no operation of non-essential products or services. Given the fact that certain businesses were granted access to apply for exclusion from the 21 days lock-down, even those with non-key products/services applied and were granted permits. While businesses were making applications on the eve of the lockdown, most employees already went to their homes in various provinces. By the time these businesses were granted exemption to operate, some forced their workers to come back to work while those employees were already home and were unable to travel back to work. FAWU condemns the fact that these workers are now faced with disciplinary actions which means there is a real threat that they could lose their jobs. The certificate issued by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, leaves it for the employers to authorize employees and thus employees are intimidated to either lose their jobs or come back to work. The major crisis begins on the following, 1. All initiatives by employers in their application including government granting employers permission to operate during lock- down , were done without consulting trade unions or workers; 2. Employees are forced to work during lockdown period without any protective gear and effective hygienic measures to curb the spread of corona virus; 3. Employees are forced to find transport on their own and are subject to discipline if they do not arrive at work. This in fact means workers must go back to congested areas posing a risk to their health, of which the same government has been advising the public against; 4. Employees are forced to take their annual leave and those who conform to quarantine are forced to take sick leave; 5. Some employers treat cases of employees who are not at work and adhered to the call of President Ramaphosa, as unauthorized absenteeism and want to discipline their employees; 6. Workers are forced to apply for relief on their own thereby exposing them to a process where they will have to use their own time and risk infection; 7. Most of our members have spent all their money on food and home necessities in order to comply with the President’s instruction during the 21 days lock-down and barely have money for transport; 8. More than 200 workers from those large companies allowed to operate,will be obligated to disregard hygienic requirement such as social distancing to lessen the risk of being infected and infecting their families during their travel, to and from work. FAWU vehemently condemns actions of employers who prioritise profits at the expense of the lives of food sector workers. The announcement by the President was to protect the lives of all people in South Africa and workers in the food industry are no exception to this call. By disregarding the call by the President particularly on the measure to curb the spread of COVID19, some employers are contributing to oppose all what the country is doing to deal with this pandemic. FAWU CALLS UPON THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE FOLLOWING, ▪ To stop all applications by companies without the involvement of the unions or workers; ▪ To involve all relevant departments before any decision to grant companies to operate such as Department of Health, Department of Transport, Department of Employment & Labour; ▪ The government must obligate employers who are yet to be granted to make commitment to follow all precautionary measures to protect their employees from the risk of being infected of which such measures must first be tested by the Department of health and the Department of Employment and Labour with the involvement of Unions/workers; ▪ The government must obligate employers to apply for relief funds on behalf of employees and not employees applying on their own; ▪ The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission must invite all employers who have been granted to operate to formally declare a reversal of all the above initiatives to dismiss or adversely affect terms and conditions of all workers in the food sectors as they are currently using the same certificate issued by the organ of the government. In the event they do not, the CIPC should withdraw the certificate to grant employers to operate; FAWU has a record of all companies that subjected members to unfair working conditions and we will seek intervention of the government on those employers who were granted permit to operate despite not being announced as essential or key operators. We therefore appeal to employers not to exploit workers during this time before FAWU embarks on a process of publicly name and shaming of all those companies engaged in unfair conduct. For more information, feel free to contact the writer on the below contact. Mayoyo Mngomezulu FAWU General Secretary- 082 440 4039, mngomezulu.mayoyo@fawu.org.za