By Onyebuchi Ezigbo
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday moved to rally workers in the country to brace up for the challenges posed by the fast spreading COVID-19.
As part of measures to cushion the economic impact of the outbreak, NLC asked the federal government to implement policies that will help businesses and to prevail on employers of labour not to use the situation to renege in payment of salaries of their workers.
In order to help contain the spread of the virus, the labour movement urged workers to adopt safe practices, including avoiding shaking of hands, crowded places and to observe good personal hygiene.
Addressing a press conference yesterday afternoon, NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said that workers are encouraged to key into the hygiene practices as recommended by the global health body, the World Health Organisation (WHO).
On the economic front, NLC said that federal government should put forward policies that would mitigate the impact of the virus on businesses.
He also said that government should ensure that workers are not neglected and that employers pay their workers their entitlement during the period of the outbreak.
“On our part, we are ready to work with employers and governments to ensure that workers get the needed support, and employers a fair deal in these trying times. “We should see the COVID-l9 pandemic as a challenge to revamp and reposition our healthcare facilities and system,” he said.
Wabba further said that as part of government’s intervention to arrest the spread of the virus, all those coming into the country from high burden-nations should be quarantined until proper health investigation is conclusively carried out.
