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 …
Read More »Pandemic hits aid work in sub-Saharan Africa
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Desperately needed aid for millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa is under threat as the deadly coronavirus pandemic sweeps a continent already facing a volley of crises. In some cases social distancing measures and border closures are preventing workers from distributing aid. In others, funding is …
Read More »Construction works at Hoima international airport suspended
Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Construction works at Hoima International Airport has been suspended over COVID-19. The contractors SBC/SBI Lloyds British International has sent home over 900 workers that have been working in the different departments. Amos Muriisa, the Public Relations officer SBC told Uganda Radio Network on Tuesday that …
Read More »Amazon workers protest over virus safety
New York, United States | AFP | Amazon warehouse employees and Instacart delivery workers joined protests Monday to press safety demands, highlighting the risks for workers on the front lines of supplying Americans largely sheltering at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 50 to 60 employees joined a walkout …
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