Coronavirus Pandemic
A coalition of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has called on the FCT Administration to invest donations by private sectors to isolation centres directly.
The coalition made the appeal in a communiqué signed by Alhaji Abubakar Yaqub and Mr Ossai Ilome, at the end of a one-day situation room meeting on Friday in Abuja,
Yaqub is the NLC Chairman, FCT chapter, while Ilome is the Secretary, Communique drafting committee of the meeting.
The communiqué recommended that Road Transport Union should demonstrate goodwill to government existing protocols by identifying and sanctioning members flouting the existing physical distancing guidelines.
It also recommended decentralised committee on monitoring of members’ compliance on exiting protocols in the six Area Councils.
“A call for state meeting to bring this decision to all members as it was discovered that the delivery of donated hygienic items/materials were not been conducted in an effective manner, and therefore, recommended testing, treating and tracing.
“Further engagement with the NLC headquarters should be conducted to solicit broader media campaign for direct donations to relevant stakeholders/departments/facilities.
“Pursue the development of standard operating manual on various procedures to treatment and evacuation of COVID-19 patients.
“Unions should endeavour to pro-actively engage employers without waiting for untoward action to happen first.
“National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) in collaboration with NLC headquarter would be engaged to pursue a stimulus package for the aviation industry where necessary,” the communique stated.
However, some of the stakeholders also made suggestions as captured by the communique.
For example, NUATE observed that payment of salaries; sack of employees by the employers; absence of protocol for resumption and hygiene supplies are still posing challenges.
Similarly, the NUJ observed that payment of salaries; security harassment of journalists; supply of hygiene items to media houses as well as lack of hazard allowance were the major challenges facing the sector.
“Medical and Health Workers Union emphasised the lack of PPE supply; disproportionate holding centres; and non-existence of FCT owned testing centres.
“They also noted death of health workers outside isolation centres as well as hazard allowance and reduction of tax/insurance as promised is still the problems faced by health officials.
“Labour Business School emphasised the apparent loss of income by businesses and called for the formulation of strategic employers’ engagement protocol to be deployed by union executives.
“Joint Health Workers’ Union pointed out the absence of insurance cover for health officials and inadequate community sensitisation.
“Others are absence of hazard allowance; inadequate primary health care centres as well as lack of transportation vehicles for health officials to their workplaces,” the communique stressed.
NAN
– June 5, 2020 @ 18:30 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19: Coalition private sector donations given to isolation centres
