Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | SBC, the company contracted by the government to construct Hoima International Airport has laid off 160 workers. The company said in a letter to staff that the decision to lay off the workers was in line with the government guidelines to control the spread of …
Read More »US workers face an unequal future when virus recedes
Washington, United States | AFP | As the coronavirus worked its way across the United States, it cleaved the country’s workforce in two: those who have the ability to work from home, and those who do not. From baristas to hotel workers to tourism operators, people whose job requires them to …
Read More »More workers to lose jobs as key sectors feel COVID-19 pinch
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A sobering analysis of Uganda’s businesses during coronavirus crisis shows that at least 100,000 formal jobs have been cut revealing the scale of the carnage the virus has had on employment. Also, at least 4.4 million workers in the informal sector will either see their …
Read More »4.4 million Ugandans could lose jobs due to coronavirus-Report
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four million Ugandans could lose their jobs if the Coronavirus pandemic persists for the next six months, according to the business climate index published by the Economic Policy Research Centre. EPRC conducted a survey, sending questionnaires electronically to 147 businesses which are a panel of …
Read More »Grim and getting worse: US set for historic unemployment surge
Washington, United States | AFP | Like a global tsunami, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a huge loss of life and taken a massive economic toll. In the US economy, skyrocketing unemployment is the most-visible sign of the devastation: almost overnight, at least 30 million workers lost their jobs. The April …
Read More »Balcony banners, e-rallies as pandemic curbs May Day demos
Havana, Cuba | AFP | Workers of the world scaled back their traditional May Day demos Friday with coronavirus lockdowns forcing many to rally online while a determined few hit the streets in face masks. There were arrests in the Philippines, Russia, Chile and Turkey, a riot in Indonesia and pepper …
Read More »Museveni pleads with employers to desist from laying off workers
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged employers to resist the temptation of laying off workers because of a slump in their businesses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking at State House Entebbe to mark the International Labour Day, Museveni said some of the companies …
Read More »Half world’s workers risk livelihoods being ‘destroyed’: ILO
Genève, Switzerland | AFP | Nearly half of the entire global workforce is in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organization warned Wednesday. The ILO said the risk fell on those workers in the informal economy, and three-quarters of them, some 1.6 billion …
Read More »ILO urges companies to protect workers as lockdowns ease
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Labor Organization (ILO) has cautioned that countries risk a resurgence of coronavirus if they do not put in place adequate safeguards that meet the strict occupational safety and health criteria needed for bringing workers back. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder says that risk …
Read More »New York health workers hold vigil for colleagues who died in virus fight
New York, United States | AFP | Clutching flowers, candles and photos, New York hospital workers paid tribute to colleagues who have died from the coronavirus since the beginning of the epidemic that has ravaged the city with a modest ceremony in the freezing cold Friday. Standing in front of the …
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