COVID-19: ILO urges govt to protect workers after lockdown

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has urged governments to protect workers after the ease of their lockdowns to prevent and control COVID-19 in the workplace. Mr Guy Ryder, ILO Director General, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, to commemorate the 2020 World Day for Safety and Health at Work with the theme: “Stop the Pandemic”. Ryder warned that without adequate safeguards for returning workers there could be a second wave of the virus as pressure mounts on countries to ease their lockdown restriction due to the pandemic.

According to him, governments need to take action to prevent and control COVID-19 in the workplace, with active involvement and dialogue with employers’ and workers’ organisations.

“All employers need to carry out risk assessments and ensure their workplaces meet strict occupational safety and health criteria beforehand, to minimise the risk to workers of exposure to COVID-19. Without such controls, countries face the very real risk of a resurgence of the virus. Putting in place the necessary measures will minimise the risk of a second wave of contagion contracted at the workplace. In the face of an infectious disease outbreak, how we protect our workers now clearly dictates how safe our communities are, and how resilient our businesses will be, as this pandemic evolves,” he said. He added that the safety and health of our entire workforce is paramount today. Ryder said, “In the face of an infectious disease outbreak, how we protect our workers now clearly dictates how safe our communities are, and how resilient our businesses will be, as this pandemic evolves.

“It is only by implementing occupational safety and health measures that we can protect the lives of workers, their families and the larger communities, ensure work continuity and economic survival,” he said. He, however, said that in particular, risk control measures should be specifically adapted to the needs of workers at the frontline of the pandemic that include health workers, nurses, doctors and emergency workers, as well as those in food retail and cleaning services. The ILO director said others are the most vulnerable workers and businesses, in particular those in the informal economy, migrant and domestic workers. He said measures to protect these workers should include, among others education and training on safety and healthy work practices, free provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as needed. He, therefore, called for access to public health services and livelihood alternatives.