On 18 March, the Sri Lankan government declared a curfew across the country. All factories and offices have been closed, except those providing essential services.
Despite the government’s directions to close factories before 18 March, most factories in the free trade zones remained opened until the curfew. As a result, most workers could not return to their villages and were stranded at their boarding houses near the free trade zones. Workers waiting for their monthly salary did not have money for basic needs.
In a letter to the Minister of Labour, IndustriALL affiliate Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union (FTZ& GSEU) requested immediate intervention to:
Advice to the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka to supply food rations to boarding houses, as it is in charge of the free trade zones
Advice companies to pay the workers’ salaries immediately
Advice the BOI to direct contract agencies to pay employees in advance
Simultaneously FTZ& GSEU and the Women Center launched a program to provide food to the free trade zones. Union representatives visited boarding houses, which also accommodate daily wage workers employed through contract agencies, to distribute food parcels.
During this process the union found that the boarding houses are not suitable for social distancing and fall short on many counts required for Covid-19 containment measures. Subsequently the FTZ & GSEU demanded the government to make immediate arrangements to transport workers to their homes.
The government took steps to transport stranded workers back home to different parts of the country on 18 and 27 March. The transported workers are under observation for Covid-19 and urged to follow social distancing.
A Ministerial level task force has advised that the wages should be paid before the factory is closed. The task force has also decided that non-attendance of worker due to curfew cannot be considered as leave and cannot be reduced from employee’s personal leave and wages for the month of March will be paid in full. As many transported workers have not received wages, now the FTZ&GSEU once again called on the government to ensure due wages are paid.
Jenny Holdcroft, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:
“We commend the actions of our affiliate FTZGSEU in Sri Lanka, demanding that the government makes arrangements so that workers do not suffer the consequences of the present crisis. It is also heartening that they have taken the initiative to distribute food packets to stranded workers.”
In a few weeks, everything has changed – and nothing has changed.
Whatever jurisdiction you work in, the law still applies. While the wording of laws and regulations vary around the world, in general employers are required to protect the health and safety of their employees. This includes providing information, education, training, and the correct equipment to do the job safely. In addition, new specific laws or regulations may have been enacted to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. Make sure that your workplace is in compliance with all applicable legal requirements.
Within the workplace, internal systems must be in place.
Workers demand the right to know as accurately as possible what the risks are, and how they will be controlled. We insist on the right to participate in the decision-making on what controls will be implemented – it’s our lives. That means Joint Health and Safety Committees and trade union safety representatives must be fully involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of all measures taken. Finally, we will assert our right to refuse to perform unhealthy or unsafe work if we have reason to believe that the controls are inadequate.
Employers have the responsibility to ensure safe and healthy workplaces. Employees have the responsibility to carefully follow and implement any controls put in place.
What is Novel Coronavirus?
What the world is now commonly referring to as new, or novel, coronavirus disease is technically known as COVID-19 and is caused by a newly emerged virus called SARS-CoV-2.
It is a frightening development: a virus to which no-one has existing immunity. It is sweeping the world, and measures are in place to slow the infection rate so that health care systems are not overwhelmed.
Yet at the same time it is an infectious disease like many others; and the prevention of infections by it follow principles that have been known for a long time.
The World Health Organization, in its leaflet “Getting your Workplace Ready for COVID-19” (19 March 2020) had this to say about COVID-19:
How COVID-19 spreads
When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects, such as desks, tables or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects, and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. If they are standing within 1 meter of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu.
More recent science shows that inhalation of droplets or aerosols is the most frequent route of transmission; although contaminated surfaces and objects are still important.
Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some experience more serious illness and may require hospital care. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness.
What are the symptoms?
Knowing the symptoms is important to identify whether you, or a co-worker, may be at risk or a risk to others. The most indicative symptoms of COVID-19 infection are fever and a new, continuous, dry cough.
These are the symptoms most frequently noted by those who are infected.
88% of cases Fever
68% of cases Dry cough
38% of cases Fatigue
33% of cases Sputum Production
19% of cases Shortness of Breath
15% of cases Muscle or joint pain
Other symptoms reported at lower frequencies include sore throat, headache, chills, nausea or vomiting, nasal congestion, diarrhea, haemoptysis (coughing up blood or bloody sputum), and conjunctival congestion (sore, watery eyes).
Most people recover from COVID-19 infection without complications. A percentage, however, can experience severe acute respiratory syndrome and/or pneumonia. Such serious conditions can sometimes progress to organ failure and death. The risk of serious complications seems to increase with age.
What to do if you experience symptoms
If you notice symptoms while at home, stay home.
If you first experience symptoms while at work, inform your employer (who to inform should be made clear) and go home. While awaiting transportation home keep distant from other people – at least 2 meters.
Call your doctor. Follow the latest advice on self-isolation, including all people living with you. If your symptoms are worsening seek medical advice at once.
If possible, employers should ensure access to testing for COVID-19 at no cost to workers when exposure is suspected.
What should the response to the COVID-19 in workplaces be?
As is the case with any workplace hazard, Joint Health and Safety Committees and safety representatives should make sure that appropriate workplace policies, programmes and procedures are in place. These policies, programmes and procedures must be agreed upon jointly. The decisions must not be left solely to employers.
Any policies, programmes and procedures only work when they are followed. A protocol to effectively monitor their implementation should also be jointly agreed upon.
Identify the hazard
Hazard identification and risk assessment should be done jointly – the only people with the moral authority to assess a risk are those who face the risks.
* The early focus has been on persons who have been travelling or exposed to infected individuals or any large groups of people as potential carriers. However most areas of the world are now in a situation where local or community transmission is occurring. Therefore it is no longer the case that the only danger is exposure to someone who has been travelling.
* The virus can be transmitted before symptoms appear. Nevertheless everyone should be aware of the symptoms, for their own sake as well as others. See the detailed list of symptoms, above.
Control the risk
The principles of personal and industrial hygiene remain the same for COVID-19 as for other biohazards. Eliminate or completely isolate the hazard as a first choice; minimize the risk by eliminating, so far as possible, opportunities for transmission of the virus; and finally provide effective personal protective equipment.
Since it is impossible to eliminate or completely isolate the hazard in this case, since any person in the workplace – whether worker, contractor, customer or visitor – may be a carrier, then minimizing the risk means implementing the following strategies.
Specific measures
Personal hygiene
Frequent and thorough hand-washing with plenty of soap and water, and easily available hand sanitizing stations at strategic locations and throughout the workplace
Posters explaining how to do “thorough” hand-washing can be helpful. A minimum of 20 seconds with plenty of soap or detergent and water is necessary to disinfect hands.
Avoid touching your face: eyes, nose, or mouth, with unwashed hands.
Drying with paper towels is preferred to air-blow dryers which can disperse any remaining viruses widely.
Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace – encourage everyone, if they need to sneeze or cough, to use a tissue to fully cover their nose and mouth, or if none is available, to cough or sneeze into the crook of their arm.
Other communications and education and training meetings can also be helpful
Industrial and workplace hygiene
Housekeeping measures: a regime of frequent cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, including but not limited to machinery, tools, controls, handles, keyboards, touch screens, telephones, office devices, and doors, stair banisters, and furniture should be implemented. Cleaning surfaces with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorine bleach at sufficiently high concentrations (minimum 62–71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite) for a minimum time of 1 minute will disinfect them. Any obvious contamination with blood or bodily fluids must be treated with extra care both to disinfect the area and to protect cleaning staff. Cleaning staff should be informed or trained on how to properly disinfect. Frequent cleaning of workplace surfaces and equipment, especially at shift-change, can help reduce transmission.
Employers should ensure that adequate supplies are stocked of such things as cleaning supplies, tissues, first aid supplies, and personal protective equipment.
Ensure good rates of air exchange (ventilation) in the workplace.
Social distancing: wherever possible, provide increased space between workers (two meters or more) and allow working from home and flexible schedules or staggered shifts where possible to reduce the number of workers who come in close contact with each other.
Cancel all non-essential travel and meetings, substitute virtual meetings wherever possible.
Workers in high-risk categories because of age or pre-existing medical conditions should be particularly accommodated.
Kitchen and canteen furnishings, utensils, cutlery, dishes, and so on must receive special attention.
Potentially contaminated waste, including used tissues should be disposed of safely. If the virus is likely to be present in the waste materials seek advice on disposal. In some cases special protocols must be observed.
Handling sick or suspected cases of infection
If a suspected case has been identified in the workplace, medical advice should be sought and the person should be sent home (or to medical care in serious cases) immediately. While awaiting transportation home, the individual should be isolated from others – a mask worn by the individual with the suspected infection can reduce the chance of the virus being passed to others via droplets. All items and surfaces that the individual has been in contact with need to be disinfected; and all people that s/he may have been in contact with should be identified and monitored.
Personal protective equipment
The decision to provide specific protective equipment against the COVID-19 virus must follow a risk assessment that takes into account the specific nature of the workplace and the work in question. The following general advice may not be the best solution in your specific circumstances – seek additional expert advice if necessary.
In the early days of this pandemic, conflicting advice about the wearing of masks was being offered. However, the evidence is now clear that masks – even common paper or surgical masks, and even home-made cloth masks – significantly reduce transmission and help to protect both the wearer and other people. Therefore it is IndustriALL’s advice that masks be worn.
Gloves and special garments, if not otherwise required for the workplace, are not generally required for COVID-19 protection except in a health-care setting or for specific tasks such as cleaning or handling potentially contaminated materials, or interacting with potentially infected people. Personal protective equipment, including masks can play a role in reducing transmission but must be accompanied by a programme of training and education, for example to reduce the temptation to touch one’s face while donning, wearing or removing the equipment.
Cleanliness, especially hand-washing, is considered crucial. Consider whether adequate cleaning and disinfection procedures for all work clothing, including coveralls, boots, gloves, helmets, goggles, respirators, other personal protective equipment, etc. are in place.
Ensure adequate social protection
Everyone in the workplace must understand that even mild symptoms, like a cough and a slight fever, means “stay at home”. This message should be reinforced as strongly as possible.
Workers must be guaranteed that their pay will be kept whole in case of absence for illness; otherwise the risk is high that some will report for work even if ill, and spread the virus.
Consider mental and emotional health: people will be fearful in these uncertain times; and if working from home may experience stress due to social isolation.
Personnel policies and record keeping
Employers must have a plan to handle the situation of someone developing symptoms while at the workplace until they can be safely transferred to medical care.
Visitors to the workplace should be asked about their recent travel history and whether they are currently experiencing any symptoms.
The ability to identify contacts of people who may test positive or have symptoms, is essential. Not only employees, but the names of contractors, customers and visitors to the workplace, including which areas they visited, should be retained in case follow-up is necessary. To protect confidentiality, it should be made clear who has access to this information, who does not, and for what purposes it may be used.
Conclusion
COVID-19 presents new challenges for health and safety in the workplace, but one thing has not changed – unions make work safer!
Myanmar union calls for paid stay-at-home leave
Since February, IWFM, together with the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM), has been negotiating with employer representatives on the lack of raw materials.
The pandemic has caused a halt of production of raw materials in China, resulting in the closure of 44 garment factories and 22,000 workers laid-off.
“We have put various demands forward, like stay-at-home leave with minimum wage from 1 to 30 April, wage subsidies for workers who have contracted Covid-19 where 60 per cent should be paid by the social security fund and 40 per cent by employers, but the government rejected our proposals outright,”
says Khaing Zar, IWFM president.
Employers had proposed that garment workers take unpaid leave throughout the shutdown period, but both the government and unions disagreed. Other measures like deferment of social security fund, electricity subsidy and soft loans for businesses have not been finalized yet.
Khaing Zar admits that negotiations are tough and it is an ongoing process to explore viable solutions, but workers are really worried about going to work as there are 10 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Myanmar.
“For IWFM and CTUM, we have started to restrict our movement and use technology for communication, with online discussions with union leaders on how to support workers in the event of layoffs,”
says Khaing Zar.
Union members race to convert factories to produce supplies for Covid-19 patients
In Wisconsin, US, more than 340 workers employed at GE Datex-Ohmeda are in a race against the clock to produce ventilators. Members of IndustriALL affiliate Machinist Union (IAM) Local 1406, who build anesthesia, respiratory and infant care machines, ratified a one-year emergency contract extension on 19 March in a lightning fast attempt to meet the sudden increased demand for ventilators across the globe.
The goal is to produce as many ventilators as possible in the next 90 days.
“After struggling with the short notice of negotiating a contract extension, I am proud of our union body for gathering so quickly and agreeing on a contract with GE Healthcare,”
said Local 1406 Shop Committee Chairperson Sheila Jourdan.
“This contract extension shows we as union members can do our part in helping with this pandemic.”
IAM International President Robert Martinez, Jr., said:
“It is because of hard-working and dedicated men and women like the membership of Local 1406 that I know we will get through this crisis. They are an inspiration to all of us in a time when the whole world needs to be joining together in solidarity to tackle this pandemic. They are literally saving lives and our entire union is incredibly proud of them.”
In the US, textile companies have responded to a call by the government for medical supplies urgently needed, and have built a supply chain to manufacture facemasks for healthcare workers.
Car manufacturer Ford is now making transparent face shields for hospital staff, expecting to produce around 75,000 this week.
Brazilian metal company Flex has been selected by the country’s Ministry of Health to produce respirators to be used in intensive care units to combat Covid-19.
The Metalworkers union of Sorocaba and region (SMetal), affiliated to CNM/CUT, is negotiating with the company to ensure that adequate protective measures are in place to protect the workers. The union has also requested information on how many workers are needed, and is currently in negotiations for the rest of the workers to take collective holidays.
In Spain, IndustriALL affiliate CCOO has asked companies to dedicate resources to combat the epidemic. The textile and shoe industry has responded to the appeal and will manufacture work clothes for medical professionals, instead of clothes for the coming spring and summer. Three of the 13 Inditex factories in Galicia will dedicate production to hospital uniforms.
Italian metalworkers strike to halt non-essential production
Numerous metalworkers participated in an eight-hour general strike called on 25 March by Italian unions FIOM, FIM and UILM in Lombardy, the heaviest COVID-19 affected region in northern Italy. Local unions report about work abstention levels as high as 60 to 90 per cent in all the provinces of the region.
The high rate is partially explained by already implemented measures of smart working, interruption and reduction of working hours and other procedures put in place through the unions’ demands.
It is also a demonstration of support to union requests both in Lombardy and at the national level, demanding a closure of all non-essential production activities.
The unions decided on to the strike to persuade the government, which under pressure from the employers’ association Confindustria had approved a wide list of the companies allowed to continue production despite the pandemic.
According to FIOM, FIM and UILM companies currently have room for interpretation in what is considered an essential service, so many continue their activities.
In light of the current spread of the corona virus, the unions have declared:
“We believe that the list is too enlarged, also including sectors of dubious importance and necessity."
One example where work continued is a factory producing engines for hair dryers and vacuum cleaners.
Commenting on the results of the strike in a joint statement Fiom, Fim and Uilm said:
“The mobilization of the metalworkers was in support of the initiative of the national confederations [CGIL, CISL and UIL] vis-à-vis the government which has made itself available to review the list of essential activities that can therefore continue their operation. In these hours the exchange between CGIL, CISL, UIL and the government has resumed and we hope will lead to the expected and requested results also through this strike. Stopping production activities for about ten days means reducing the possibility of contact between people and thus contain the chances of contagion, and this beneficial both for people’s health and our healthcare system which must be preserved from the risk of collapse.”
The unions will "ensure that all those who have to return to work will operate safely and with full respect for their health. We will not hesitate, as shown, to block activities that do not comply with health requirements and safety measures."
In a solidarity message, IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches, said:
"IndustriALL Global Union calls on the government of Italy to protect the health and safety of all the workers who continue to work because they are providing essential services or working in vital manufacturing industries during this pandemic. Furthermore, IndustriALL, in line with the statement from the council of global unions from 12 March, is calling for safe factories or simply shutting down workplaces.”
South African textile union wins full pay guarantee during coronavirus lockdown
The agreement comes as South Africa enters a strict three week coronavirus lockdown at midnight tonight. All non-essential businesses, including clothing and textile factories, will shut. People will be confined to their homes except under strictly controlled circumstances.
SACTWU brokered South Africa's first Covid-19 lockdown national collective agreement with the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry late Tuesday afternoon. The unique agreement ensures workers will continue to be paid their full salary for the next six weeks.
Speaking to television news in South Africa, SACTWU general secretary Andre Kriel said:
“We can’t run to government for everything. We must look at our own resources. It is our duty to rise to the call of the nation and combat Covid-19.
“So we said, let’s look at the institutions that exist in our industry and smooth some of the administrative problems.”
The agreement brings together different labour market institutions in an innovative, problem-solving attempt to ensure that workers don’t suffer loss of earnings.
Workers and employers in South Africa pay into an Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) that pays between 20 and 60 per cent of a workers’ salary if they lose their job. Usually, workers have to apply individually for UIF payments at department of labour offices. The lockdown means that there is likely to be a huge backlog.
The agreement will see a collective claim made on behalf of workers in the sector. The funds due to them will be transferred to a bank account managed by the bargaining council. From there, funds will be transferred to companies and topped up by employers so that workers receive 100 per cent of their salaries. It will then be integrated into company payroll systems and paid out directly to workers.
In a press release, the union said:
“We are conscious that it might not be a perfect agreement, but are determined to give it our best shot.
“We specifically want to thank workers and employers of our brave industry for their willingness to mandate their leadership to take the necessary patriotic risks to conclude what we hope is a pioneering centralized bargaining agreement that will be a small contribution to our country's national effort to decisively defeat the spread of Covid-19.”
IndustriALL sector director Christina Hajagos-Clausen said:
“In this unprecedented period, the landmark agreement reached in South Africa demonstrates that trade unions and industry can come together to find ways to support garment workers and to also ensure the viability of the industry. SACTWU has once again demonstrated that industry wide agreements are vital to the textile and garment sector.”
The agreement also establishes a rapid response task team which will manage practical issues. SACWTU has taken a proactive stance on confronting coronavirus, starting a workers’ education programme several weeks ago.
Union responses to Covid-19
Click on the link below for a page with real time updates of union responses to the crisis from around the world.
Sector leader Bridgestone of Japan employs over 8,000 workers in Europe. The company has stopped production at its tyre plants Bethune, France, and Bari, Italy, and is reducing work at sites in Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Spain. Bridgestone factories in Bilbao, Puente San Miguel and Burgos, in Spain; Stargard and Poznan, in Poland; and Tatabanya in Hungary, will operate with reduced capacity. A retread materials factory in Lanklaar, Belgium, also will reduce operations.
French multinational Michelin has started to idle tyre plants in the US and Canada, with manufacturing so far suspended for two weeks. Michelin had already announced the idling of its European sites. Goodyear has already announced suspension of all manufacturing sites, affecting nearly 30,000 workers in the Americas and Europe.
Continental of Germany is reducing some production, but without making the clear site suspensions like other market leaders. In North America, Continental operates three tyre factories, plus one in Mexico, employing a total of around 6,500 workers in the two countries.
This week, Italian based Pirelli sent home nearly 7,000 workers from its sites in Settimo Torinese and Bollate, Italy; Slatina, Romania; and Burton on Trent and Carlisle, UK. The return to work dates will depend on the evolution of the virus. The Pirelli plants in Germany, Russia and South America have not yet been closed.
In North America, along with Continental, Titan, Nokian and Trelleborg have so far not reduced production, but do report new protocols being implemented to protect employees from the virus. Hankook Tyre announced that it will suspend production for two weeks at its plant in Tennessee, where 1,200 workers operate.
Finish tire maker Nokian is ceasing production at its plant in Dayton, US, in order to safeguard the well-being of its employees.
Indian based Apollo Tyres is scaling back production at its Enschede plant in the Netherlands, stopping car tyre production and focusing on agriculture tyres. Apollo is suspending all production at Hungarian plant, Gyongyoshalasz for two weeks from 28 March.
Cooper Tyre is beginning the process to temporarily close its two manufacturing facilities in Europe, located in Melksham, England, and Krusevac, Serbia. This affects 1,350 workers. The closure is expected to last three weeks. Similar measures are being taken at Cooper’s tyre plants in the US and Mexico. The company’s plant in China has reopened and been operational again for several weeks.
“In the midst of this crisis, IndustriALL’s position is clear: all affected rubber workers must have their health, pay and conditions protected throughout this crisis,”
says IndustriALL rubber director Tom Grinter.
African trade unions want mining companies to follow COVID-19 protocols
Unions are advocating for responses to the pandemic that include best practices from occupational health and safety as seen in past campaigns on silicosis, tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS. Most unions are promoting the thorough washing of hands and have cancelled most of their activities to maintain social distancing.
Abdul-Moomin Gbana, the general secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers Union said:
“We are deeply concerned by the global COVID-19 and the potential consequences on the health and safety of our members, as well as the operational business implications for the mining companies, and the industry at large. In difficult times such as what the world is currently grappling with, the union is urging all employers in the industry to continuously leverage their longstanding experience as health and safety champions to stop the spread of COVID-19 from wreaking havoc in Ghana’s mining industry.”
David Sipunzi, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) general secretary said:
“After meeting with the Minerals Council of South Africa, we are happy that the mining companies are coming on board. They are taking this pandemic seriously.”
The mining companies promised to assist by making their clinics available to deal with the pandemic.
An example of the COVID-19 protocols is the Minerals Council of South Africa’s 10-point plan. The plan includes health workers’ readiness, ensuring access to consumables, a proactive influenza vaccination programme, understanding the potential impact on workers with compromised immunities, case management and contact-tracing, isolation of positive cases, reporting, monitoring and travel advice. The NUM is urging mining companies to implement the plan and says “mining companies must develop urgent policies that address commitment and responses to the pandemic to reduce the risk of transmission at the workplace. Companies should improve hygiene through providing sanitizers, soap, gloves and masks. Those with minor flu and coughing must be given masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.”
The union recommends identifying and treating workers at risk early. The NUM says workers who contract the disease at work, including healthcare workers at mine clinics, should receive compensation through the Compensation for Occupational Diseases Act. Workers must be allowed to take sick leave due to coronavirus symptoms or quarantine periods. Further, it is important to decongest and disinfect waiting areas, communal spaces and shared facilities and for COVID-19 information to be accessible.
The Mineworkers Union of Zambia has successfully campaigned for the use of alcohol breathalyzer tests to be discontinued as they can easily spread the coronavirus. Some mining companies that include Mopane Copper Mines, Lubambe Copper Mine, Kanshanshi and Barrick Lumwana complied. Additionally, biometric systems in which workers used fingers are also unsafe.
IndustriALL urges Madagascar to ratify C176
Madagascar TV news report
Last year, the affiliates wrote to the Minister of Labour, Employment, Public Services, and Social Legislation urging the government to ratify C176. None of the ILO conventions signed by Madagascar protects mine workers safety and health.
The concerns regarding the regulation of the state of health and safety in the mining industry came under the spotlight at a well-attended panel discussion organized by IndustriALL in Antananarivo on 11 March.
Mining in Madagascar, which has vast deposits of ilmenite, graphite, limestone, gypsum, dolomite, silica, mica, titanium, quartz, gold, platinum group, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, chromite, is a huge source of foreign direct investment.
Considering the magnitude of the mining sector, mining’s contribution to the country’s GDP and the growth of the extractives relative to the primary, secondary or tertiary sector, Madagascar is potentially a resource-rich country.
Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director of mining, diamonds, gems, ornaments and jewellery production, said:
“Occupational health and health and safety in mining in Madagascar is hopelessly unregulated which is inconsistent with mining’s role in the economy.”
Brian Kohler, IndustriALL director of health, safety and sustainability concurred:
“Convention 176 provides the necessary basis for a sustainable mining industry that ensures that its workers return to their workplaces safe and healthy.”
The panel discussion event, moderated by Hanta Andrianasy from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Madagascar, followed a two-day training workshop on 9-10 March for IndustriALL affiliates. Kohler ran the training workshop.
The panellists included the IndustriALL directors and representatives from the two major global multinational mining companies, Rio Tinto’s QMM ilmenite mine and Sheritt International’s Ambatovy Sherritt Madagascar. Government of Madagascar representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Public Service and Social Legislation, director-general, Jerson Razafimanantsoa and Yvan Rakotomalala, the director of health and social action also presented.
The panellists were unanimous on the importance of ratification to ensure the safety and protection of mineworkers. Razafimanantsoa made a positive contribution to the panel discussions, committing the government of Madagascar to eventual ratification of C176. The ratification due process will include a gap analysis of the legislative occupational health and safety regime and will involve all tripartite stakeholders.
