By Daniel Namwini, MANA
As one way of preventing corona virus in the country, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) has urged all employers whose working premises harbor more than 100 employees to split their workers in shifts.
Secretary General for MCTU, Denis Kalekeni made the appeal to the employers after the president Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika declared Malawi a state of national disaster due to the corona virus threat that has shaken the entire world.
“Those employers should put lives of their workers first other than making profits by providing working shifts for their workers to reduce congestion of people that can lead to the spread of corona virus (COVID-19),” Kalekeni said.
He added that employers will put their businesses to a higher risk of collapse if, in view of making huge profits, they expose the lives of the workers to Corona virus.
He pointed out that the major focus as a collective responsibility is to grant high level of protection to the lives of all Malawian workers as they are the driving force of the economy in the country.
He therefore urged all the employers who may desire to close their businesses in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus among workers, to see to it that the workers are still paid their salaries in order not to disrupt their livelihood.
“We therefore urge employers who may wish to close their working premises to seriously consider offsetting the days of off-duty in the wake of the virus with the leave days of the workers so that workers still get their salaries,” he pointed out.
Malawi Congress of Trade Unions implores all patriotic Malawians to join hands in doing everything it takes to prevent the infection and spread of this deadly virus.
In a separate interview, Manager for Chikondano Construction Company in Lilongwe, McDonald Bwiyangeni said his company has more than 100 workers promise to provide shifts for their workers to avoid congestion.
“We are going to sit down with the management so that we can see how we can work on it so that we can prevent COVID-19 which has affected our surrounding countries like Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania among others.
However, the President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika when addressing the nation on Friday on the issue of corona virus, said his government has developed a Response Plan that will cost about K15 billion which is equivalent to US$20 million.
“My Government has provided K2.5 billion as immediate funding towards the Response Plan,” Mutharika said.
He added that Government, in the light of technical guidance from the World Health Organization, is implementing activities in preparation of the Coronavirus outbreak.
The aim of these activities is to prevent Coronavirus from being transmitted into Malawi and also to prepare the country to handle any case should a Coronavirus case be diagnosed.
