PORT-OF-SPAIN –FOR the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, employers will be asked to implement pandemic leave in a compassionate manner within their organisations.
This was the call made by Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development Jennifer Baptiste-Primus at a press conference at her Port-of-Spain office on Sunday.
She said, “For the duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic employers are required to implement Pandemic Leave provisions within their organisations in a compassionate manner which ensures business continuity whilst securing the national interest.
“In light of the pandemic facing Trinidad and Tobago officers who will be eligible for Pandemic Leave within the Public Service are as follows:
- Public Officers – Permanent, temporary, monthly paid and daily rated;
- Fixed Term Contract Employees;
- Short Term Contract Employees;
- On the Job Trainees (OJTS);
- Office Holders within the purview of the Salaries Review Commission (SRC) – (whose Office falls in the Public Service such as Top Managers, Judiciary and Legal Services).”
She said, “Employers are encouraged to develop appropriate arrangements to ensure business continuity during this pandemic.”
Baptiste-Primus said following the announcement by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that schools will be closed for one week, there was the question of what the parents as workers would have to do with their children.
She advised the public sector to utilise the following guideline:
- At this time it is not advised that children be allowed onto work places/facilities, inclusive of company vehicles or compounds as they too need to be protected;
- All parents are encouraged to use their support systems in the first instance to take care of their children to allow them to report for duty;
- Employers are encouraged to implement remote work policies, where possible, to minimize the need for employees with children to physically attend work;
- Where it is not possible for employees with children to work from home, recognized majority unions/employees and employers are required to explore options of shift work, staggered hours of work and/or rostering;
- Where there are both parents in a family, one parent is encouraged to stay at home with the children whilst the other reports for duty;
- Where alternative work arrangements cannot be made the employee is to be allowed to stay at home with his/her children without being penalized by either disciplinary action or by non-payment of salary;
- Where discussions between the recognized majority unions/employees and employers have failed to resolve the issue either the employer or recognized majority unions/employees can contact the Conciliation, Advisory and Advocacy Division at conciliation.mol@gov.tt or call 299-0300 ext. 2043 or 2124.
- Employees are advised that if you are not sick do not stay at home.
Also at the press conference was acting Chief Personnel Officer Commander Darryl Dindial who said, “Pandemic Leave is a new category of leave that is being proposed to treat with the absence of duty in this particular instance.”
He said this pandemic leave would only apply to parents with no supervision for their children and employees who do not benefit from for sick leave as part of their employment.
Dindial said in the event, they fall ill, have to be quarantined or eventually are confirmed to have contracted the virus, only then they will benefit from it.
He said leave must be categorised because it has an impact on the calculations of pensions, gratuity, acting appointments and increments. It is in place to ensure that workers are accounted for if they are not able to come out to work.
Whilst the guidelines predominantly were geared towards the Public Service, it also served as guidelines for Private sectors to follow, as they are being called on to be compassionate
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