Take responsibility for yourself, children, Oyo NLC tells workers on work resumption

With Oyo civil servants, on all grade levels, officially resuming Monday, the state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has urged all workers to take responsibility for themselves and their wards/children against contracting coronavirus.
This is as the union charged workers who are ill or in doubt of their COVID-19 status to obtain permission from their supervisors and stay off work.
Also noting that students in terminal classes were to resume on June 29, the meeting, Chairman, Oyo NLC, Mr Bayo Titilola-Sodo, urged parents to take responsibility for adherence of their children/wards to COVID-19 protocols.
The meeting held under the auspices of NLC-civil society situation room in Oyo however, urged the state government to put in place all measures to guarantee the safety of workers and not coerce any worker to resume work.
The meeting warned that unless precautionary measures were in place, the lives of students and workers will be jeopardized.
The meeting communique signed by Titilola-Sodo held that it was imperative for the state government to ensure that there is temperature police at the entrance to each ministry to check all entrants.
Also mandatory, according to the communique, was the need to increase the number of handwashing points at the entrance of each ministry with water and soap constant supply.
Furthermore, the unions asked the government to give workers at least two face masks and ensure that offices are arranged in compliance with social distancing.

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“On resumption of all workers at the state secretariat, it has been agreed that there will be enforcement like temperature police at the entrance to each ministry.
“The number of hand washers will be increased, with not less than one at the entrance of each ministry with water in constant supply and soup.
“Every worker will be supplied with two face masks. They will as much as possible maintain social distancing.
“We are however advising our members to take personal responsibility for their well-being and safety.
“If you are in doubt of your status, don’t go to work. Let your supervisor know that you won’t come to work this particular day and that will be taken.
“No one will be punished for not coming to work. Nobody will be coerced to go to work.
“On school resumption, my advice to the parents is to take COVID-19 guidelines.
“I keep saying it, as at today, the total number of tests Nigeria has undertaken on COVID-19 is just 102,000 for a population of about 200 million people when we have the UK with a less 100 million people doing over 170,000 tests in one day. “Therefore, our data is not reliable. So we should take personal responsibility for our well-being and safety. We must take to the protocols and follow the protocols for our children,” Titilola-Sodo said.
The meeting had in attendance various leaders of the unions which form the Situation Room to include NLC, Nigerian Union of Teachers(NUT), Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and others.
The communique, the NLC chairman strongly called on the government to make available necessary supplies of consumables needed by health workers and promptly pay health workers.
Also stressed was the need for frontline workers handling COVID-19 patients to be well kitted.
Suggesting ways to curb further spread of COVID-19 in the state, the communique called for increased sensitization campaigns in markets.

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