<p><em><strong>Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour </strong></em><strong><em>Organisation, ILO, in this piece made available to </em>OpenLife<em> by African Media Agency, AMA, gives an insight into the danger ahead of workers worldwide as a result of COVID-19 </em></strong></p>



<p>The human dimensions of the
COVID-19 pandemic reach far beyond the critical health response. All aspects of
our future will be affected – economic, social and developmental. Our response
must be urgent, coordinated and on a global scale, and should immediately
deliver help to those most in need. ;</p>



<p>From workplaces, to
enterprises, to national and global economies, getting this right is predicated
on social dialogue between governments and those on the front line – the
employers and workers. So that the 2020s don’t become a re-run of the 1930s.</p>



<p>ILO estimates are that as
many as 25 million people could become unemployed, with a loss of workers’
income of as much as USD 3.4 trillion. However, it is already becoming clear
that these numbers may underestimate the magnitude of the impact. ;</p>



<p>This pandemic has
mercilessly exposed the deep faultlines in our labour markets. Enterprises of
all sizes have already stopped operations, cut working hours and laid off
staff. Many are teetering on the brink of collapse as shops and restaurants
close, flights and hotel bookings are cancelled, and businesses shift to remote
working. Often the first to lose their jobs are those whose employment was
already precarious – sales clerks, waiters, kitchen staff, baggage handlers and
cleaners. ;</p>



<p>In a world where only one
in five people are eligible for unemployment benefits, layoffs spell
catastrophe for millions of families. Because paid sick leave is not available
to many carers and delivery workers – those we all now rely on – they are often
under pressure to continue working even if they are ill. In the developing
world, piece-rate workers, day labourers and informal traders may be similarly
pressured by the need to put food on the table. We will all suffer because of
this. It will not only increase the spread of the virus but in the longer-term
dramatically amplify cycles of poverty and inequality. ;</p>



<p>We have a chance to save
millions of jobs and enterprises, if governments act decisively to ensure
business continuity, prevent layoffs and protect vulnerable workers. We should
have no doubt that the decisions they take today will determine the health of
our societies and economies for years to come. ;</p>



<p>Unprecedented,
expansionary fiscal and monetary policies are essential to prevent the current
headlong downturn from becoming a prolonged recession. We must make sure that
people have enough money in their pockets to make it to the end of the week –
and the next. This means ensuring that enterprises — the source of income for
millions of workers — can remain afloat during the sharp downturn and so are
positioned to restart as soon as conditions allow. In particular, tailored
measures will be needed for the most vulnerable workers, including the
self-employed, part-time workers and those in temporary employment, who may not
qualify for unemployment or health insurance and who are harder to reach. ;</p>



<p>As governments try to
flatten the upward curve of infection, we need special measures to protect the
millions of health and care workers (most of them women) who risk their own health
for us every day. Truckers and seafarers, who deliver medical equipment and
other essentials, must be adequately protected. Teleworking offers new
opportunities for workers to keep working, and employers to continue their
businesses through the crisis. However, workers must be able to negotiate these
arrangements so that they retain balance with other responsibilities, such as
caring for children, the sick or the elderly, and of course themselves. ;</p>



<p>Many countries have
already introduced unprecedented stimulus packages to protect their societies
and economies and keep cash flowing to workers and businesses. To maximise the
effectiveness of those measures it is essential for governments to work with
employers’ organizations and trade unions to come up with practical solutions,
which keep people safe and to protect jobs.</p>



<p>These measures include
income support, wage subsidies and temporary layoff grants for those in more
formal jobs, tax credits for the self-employed, and financial support for
businesses.</p>



<p>But as well as strong
domestic measures, decisive multilateral action must be a key stone of a global
response to a global enemy. The G20’s virtual Extraordinary Summit on the
Covid-19 response on 26 March is an opportunity to get this coordinated
response going. ;</p>



<p>In these most difficult of
times, I recall a principle set out in the ILO’s Constitution: ;Poverty
anywhere remains a threat to prosperity everywhere. It reminds us that, in
years to come, the effectiveness of our response to this existential threat may
be judged not just by the scale and speed of the cash injections, or whether
the recovery curve is flat or steep, but by what we did for the most vulnerable
among us.</p>

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