Don T Place Economy Over Safety Mtuc Tells Pm

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CORONAVIRUS | The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has cautioned Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin against focussing on the economy at the expense of public safety
Its secretary-general, J Solomon said MTUC has accepted the government’s decision to extend the Movement Control Order (MCO) for a third time by another two weeks, until April 28, and views it as a necessary one
"The move is needed to ensure the containment of Covid-19 remains the foremost priority, even though the MCO has wreaked havoc on the economy and livelihood of workers
"However, MTUC is worried about attempts by certain government leaders and employers to shift the Covid-19 narrative from the aspect of public health risks to reopening the economy. There seem to be attempts to shift public attention to when non-essential businesses should be allowed to reopen, rather than whether it’s safe to do so in the first place," he said in a statement today
Solomon also said that the Muhyiddin's decision to disallow salons, barbershops and optical shops to open during the third phase of the MCO, and thereby retracting the government’s earlier decision, was a good one
The MTUC also lauded the move to order students on university campuses to stay put and the barring of any Ramadan bazaars during the MCO
"However, questions remain on the necessity of allowing other non-essential businesses such as launderettes(not self-service laundromats), hardware stores and electrical stores to operate, especially when little is known about the safety measures that will be in place to ensure the safety of employers, workers and the public," he said
Solomon said that MTUC is against any move to open up non-essential businesses without the full endorsement of the Health Ministry
"The danger of opening more shops and stores is simply far too great, given what we know about Covid-19. The risk of being infected by Covid-19 lurks every time we step out from our home is very real and must not be downplayed or sacrificed due to economic considerations," he said
Solomon went on to question if the Health Ministry was being properly consulted when it came to decisions over allowing non-essential businesses to operate during the third phase of the MCO
"MTUC, like the public, was alarmed as there has been little, if any, transparency on how the government intended to go about allowing such businesses to reopen
"We stress that government leaders need to pay heed to the Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah's urgent call for stricter enforcement of the third phase of the MCO
"Due to the heroic work by health workers and other frontliners, as well as stringent safety measures put in place, there has been some success in curtailing Covid-19 in Malaysia but much remains to be done before we are out of the woods," he said
Solomon added his view that the number of red and orange zones in the Peninsular, Sabah dan Sarawak are far too many
"It was too simplistic for some ministers to suggest that it's time to allow non-essential businesses to open in green zones. As things stand, it does not take much for a green zone to turn into an orange one and then into red
Solomon also had harsh words for unscrupulous employers who forced workers to take pay cuts or even laid them off
"This despite cashing in on the slew of goodies given by the government in three stimulus packages. The workers, despite being poor and marginalised, are the ones hardest hit by the MCO and would love nothing more than to return to their jobs."However, Solomon added that many workers are concerned about catching the virus and giving it to family members with underlying health conditions and yet are too scared to speak out as they could be fired
"No employer should put workers in this situation. For this reason, the MTUC has been embarking on the implementation of the Emergency Employment Regulations to prevent Retrenchment, pay cut and forced leave on workers," he said. - Mkini

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