For the prevention of acute respiratory tract infections caused by the novel Corona virus (Covid-19), provincial Labor Confederation directed trade unions at all levels to grasp the situation, perform drastically activities of disease control, restrict travel, enhance exchange of information by telephone and emails. In particular, grassroots labor unions did a good job of proposing, negotiating with employers to support partly the cost of facemasks, hand sanitizers for workers.
Workers of Esquel Garment Manufacturing Vietnam Company are at a temperature test at medical room.
To perform multiple prevention solutions
Currently, trade union levels in the province have actively joined hands with the Party, government, agencies to implement epidemic prevention solutions such as: Communication for workers on self-prevention and defense against disease; encourage union members, workers to performs well the prevention according to the guidance of medical authorities, ensuring personal hygiene. Provincial Labor Confederation focused on dissemination of prevention measures of Covid-19, combined traditional channels with website, social networks like Facebook, Zalo...
Truong Thi Bich Hanh, Chairwoman of Provincial Labor Confederation, said: "To carry out direction of provincial Party and PPC on the strengthening of prevention measures, combating against the complex happening of Covid-19, provincial leaders asked all-level trade unions and subordinate units to implement seriously and effectively. By now, trade unions have not recorded any suspected case. However, the Covid-19 acute respiratory infection is still happening in a complicated, dangerous, and unpredictable manner with very fast contagious, severe level in China. Therefore, grassroots trade unions cooperated closely with employers to effectively implement measures to combat disease. To promote the role of trade union officials to instruct members, workers to actively clean their accommodation and workplace, restrict unnecessary travel, avoid crowded places, strengthen information exchange by telephone and email". In addition, trade unions advised business owners and directors to regularly sanitizing working environment, deliver facemasks to workers, placed dry hand sanitizers, hand soaps in toilets, ensure food safety at collective kitchens, provide enough drinking water, clean water for employees, do good management of members and workers' health, early detect cases of infections, prevent the spread of disease in agencies, units, businesses.
To purchase facemasks and hand sanitizers for workers
To carry out the direction of Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Provincial Labor Confederation directed grassroots trade unions to propose, negotiate with employers to support fully or partly the cost of facemasks and hand sanitizers for workers. If the employer has no fund to support or only support partially this, grassroots trade union will balance the existing financial resources to support the purchase of facemasks and hand sanitizers for workers. If both the grassroots trade union and enterprise have no fund for this, the superior trade union will support this purchase.
Pham Thi Tuyet Nhung, Trade Union President of Yazaki Eds Vietnam Company (Di An City) said: “To proactively prevent and fight against Covid-19, our trade union cooperated with the company leadership to strengthen disease prevention and combating measures such as: Delivering masks, hand sanitizers, disinfecting workshops, sanitizing the workplace, improving the quality of shift meals, arranging reasonable working shifts... to cope with the prolonged epidemic situation and minimize the impact on the production and business situation”.
Regarding businesses that employ foreign experts and workers returning from epidemic areas, trade unions shall cooperate with business owners to supervise the health check, carry out quarantine in accordance with regulations of Ministry of Health and carry out communication to prevent bewildering and worrying among workers, which could lead to collectively stopping the work for improper reasons. For example, Bowker Vietnam and Premier Global (Thuan An City) actively took 76 foreign experts and workers for health check-ups. Or Pai Hong Cmpany (Bau Bang district) in collaboration with the District Health Center organized a health check for 17 Chinese experts, instructed them to do self-quarantine in dormitories. In addition, many businesses in the area also actively joined hands with district, town and city health centers to organize information dissemination and give health advice to foreign experts and employees.
In addition to measures to prevent and combat Covid-19, trade unions at all levels also communicated and encouraged workers not to share unofficial information or subjective comments on social networks to avoid misunderstand about disease situation. Nguyen Minh Xuan, Trade Union President of Dat Hoa Plastic Company (Ben Cat Town) said: “to respond to the Covid-19, trade union cooperated with the company to enhance communication, guide union members and employees to understand and take initiative in prevention and combat of epidemic. The Trade Union also asked the company, foreign experts and workers to strictly implement Ministry of Health's recommendation on Covid-19 at the workplace, and to provide partially purchase cost of medical masks, hand sanitizers for employees”.
Reported by Kim Ha - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
