COVID-19: Labour Tasks FG on Palliative For Frontline workers
By UDO ONYEKA
The Organized Labour has called on the federal government to provide the necessary support for workers on the frontline rendering essential services as the country battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.
United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC) in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero said how soon and well the country will defeat the COVID-19 depends on the level of support and attention the federal government pay to workers on the frontline and those providing essential services.
Ajaero said ULC has received several complaints from affiliates of continuous harassment and intimidation against their members in the hands of some overzealous Security operatives while on the way to or back from their places of work and in the process of delivering their services.
He said workers have complained of being side-lined from the distribution of the COVID-19 relief package which they hear in the news on daily basis, adding that the workers believe they are being punished rather than rewarded for their commitment to the battle against the pandemic.
According to the him the continued manhandling of workers in the Electricity, the Oil and Gas sector, Aviation and Health Sectors and indeed journalists who are in their various beats is unacceptable and ought to be corrected immediately.
ULC noted that without these men, there will be no Electricity for our homes, No Fuel to run our Cars and generators, our Airspaces will remain unmanned thus exposed to abuse and much more, the hospitals both traditional and orthodox would have been shut.
” How can we win this battle if these men are not actively supported by protecting them and compensating them for the risks they take on daily basis?
“Congress is therefore worried that workers who are at the frontlines of this battle are not adequately protected not only against being infected but from violence of agents of the government who are supposed to protect them so that they can provide their services as required by all in the effort to contain the outbreak.
“We cannot effectively engage this Pandemic without giving Nigerian workers the needed support and encouragement to give their best. ” For this to happen, their protection must be uppermost in the minds of all actors within the society. If these workers cannot work, the battle against the disease is dead on arrival. It is only when the environment allows them to do their work unfettered that the collective effort against COVID-19 can be successful”, the statement said.
ULC urges the government to quickly sensitise its security operatives on the need to change their attitudes towards members of the public especially those who are at work.
It said : ” We had expected proper education of the agents and other enforcers of governments policies on the content thus essence of the entire strategy to contain the outbreak. If this had been done adequately, we are sure that the reports we are getting from the field would have been different.
“Also urgent at this time is the need for proper compensation for these workers. If a worker has to go out to the field at this time, it becomes very important that special adequate allowances be provided for them.
“These are men and women who are at work under such danger and risk must be compensated and there must be insurance packages for these workers to indemnify them against the risks that they are exposed to at this time as they go to work on daily basis.
“A hazard and Life insurance is much needed for these gallant workers all over the nation and we suggest that Government works with the relevant sector stakeholders to immediately put such in place”, ULC said.
