By Kemo Cham
The Sierra Leone government should consider tax waiver on customs duties for essential goods as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic on the local economy, two unions representing workers and employers have said.
The Sierra Leone Employers Federation and the Sierra Leone Labor Congress made the call in a joint statement, raising concern over the impact of the global health crisis on the country’s economy and proffered several suggestions to minimize it.
They called on the government to, among others, take measures that help struggling businesses cope with the situation, including availing foreign currency to facilitate importation of essential goods and services and waive electricity and water charges for consumers for a specified period.
"As umbrella bodies responsible for the welfare and concerns of employers and workers alike, the Sierra Leone Employer’s Federation and the Sierra Leone Labour Congress have held consultative meetings to ascertain how government, employers and workers can collaborate in minimizing the negative impact of this pandemic on the economy, employers, workers and the society at large," the statement reads.
Among other things, the groups called on the Government to set up a National Level Committee comprising private sector representatives along with other key stakeholders such as trade unions, academics, scientists and community groups along with related government ministries to deal with the economic and social fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of this effort, they urged the government to encourage the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) locally as a means of ensuring safety of Frontline workers and they also called for the provision of incentives for the healthcare workers.
Mobile companies are also encouraged to introduce affordable packages to aid communication and reduce physical human interaction in respect of payment of goods and services as well as money transfer.
Like employers, the employees also have a lot of concerns occasioned by the Covid-19 measures being implemented by the government. While the measures call for social distancing, businesses are also struggling to cope with meeting remuneration commitments in light of dwindling revenues.
The employers’ federation and the workers congress are proposing that employers of struggling businesses grant temporary leave to workers with an agreed fixed monthly payment until recovery from COVID-19. They also recommend that in such circumstance, the government should order the National Social Security and Insurance Trust and NRA not to impose penalties on defaulters payments and to waive interest on defaulters during the period.
They also said the government should engages banks and other financial institutions to suspend the collection of business loans and repayment during this crisis period.
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