With the Board of Investment (BOI) geared to reopen a number of factories in the coming days, trade unions have demanded that all safety, hygiene, and other facilities be provided to workers who would be working during the Covid-19 outbreak. Chairman of the Inter Company Employees Union, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) member Wasantha Samarasinghe told The Sunday Morning that it was the responsibility of the Government and the companies employing the workers to ensure their safety. “These are not normal circumstances. A number of districts are under strict police curfew to contain the spread of the deadly virus. As such, it is the duty of the Board of Investment and the companies that hire these workers to ensure they are given the necessary protection,” he said. He said that staffers would face various difficulties such as that of transport and curfew passes. “The companies should also provide transport facilities as workers will not be able to travel in areas under curfew,” he observed. Samarasinghe said that while it was understandable that factories and industries must be reopened, the Government was responsible for ensuring the job security of the workers. “The Government should ensure job security. No jobs should be cancelled. Those in places of authority are duty- bound to ensure the safety of these workers, especially during a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. When reached for comment, a spokesman for the BOI said that the companies were working with the minimum number workers to manufacture essential products to fight Covid-19. “BOI enterprises are working with skeleton staff to produce critical products for fighting Covid-19 which are needed on an urgent basis or to meet critical export orders. This is done while adhering to Ministry of Health (MoH) guidelines and PHIs (public health inspectors) have certified working conditions.” The spokesman added that all MoH guidelines would be followed and that necessary safety and hygiene measures would be implemented. “In every instance, PHI recommendations are sought prior to obtaining curfew passes for the factories to be opened. The BOI also has communicated MoH guidelines to the enterprises and also spot checks are carried out by the PHI. Enterprises need to follow the health guidelines with regard to the operation of factories and these are based on the instructions of the health authorities, i.e. social distancing in the work area, issuing protective masks, hand washing/sanitisers, taking temperature every day, sanitising the work area frequently, etc. In addition, enterprises also have to maintain the guidelines with regard to social distancing when providing transport for workers.” State Minister of Investment Promotion and Government Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that providing safety equipment and gear was the responsibility of the relevant companies. “All first aid and safety equipment are a must. Those are regulations. The provision of such gear is the responsibility of the companies concerned,” he said. He went on to say the Government would oversee matters to ensure that the workers’ safety was ensured. “Things will be monitored to make sure the proper protective and safety gear is provided and hygiene standards are met.” At the latter stage of last month, some 15,000 free trade zone workers were on the streets demanding payment of their salaries – an issue which the Government claimed to have resolved. – Skandha Gunasekara