Under the new wave of epidemic, various anti-epidemic measures have been tightened again, and many grassroots citizens are facing the dilemma of stopping their hands and talking.
The "Grassroots Vision", a non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the lives of grassroots citizens, held a press conference today (26th) on the "Survey on the Living Conditions of Grassroots Citizens", pointing out that the government's zero-response orientation in epidemic prevention has greatly affected grassroots income, such as suspension of work and reduction of wages. It is not uncommon for people to be placed on unpaid leave. The survey found that nearly 40% of the respondents indicated that their income had decreased, suggesting that the government should raise the minimum wage and provide unemployment assistance.
Another scholar said that the government needs to provide certain income protection for citizens in response to the epidemic, otherwise the cost of fighting the epidemic will be passed on to grassroots citizens in disguise.
"Grassroots Vision" conducted a survey on the living conditions of grassroots citizens in January 2022, and collected 1,418 valid questionnaires. The survey found that even if the epidemic situation stabilized in 2021, nearly 40% of the respondents indicated that their income would decrease, ranging from $2,001 to $3,000 (21.7%).
Nearly 50% of the interviewed households said that only one member of the family currently has a job. Most women are unable to make up for the family because they have to stay at home to take care of their children. Some grass-roots industries are deeply affected by social instability, and one-person households are more likely to appear. Hand stop and mouth stop condition.
In addition, the prolonged stay of schoolchildren has also led to an increase in food expenditure. Nearly 80% of the surveyed households indicated that their monthly food expenditure has not decreased.
"Grassroots Vision" conducted a survey on the living conditions of grassroots citizens in January 2022, and collected 1,418 valid questionnaires. The survey found that even if the epidemic situation stabilized in 2021, nearly 40% of the respondents indicated that their income would decrease.
(Photo by Li Qianting)
Increased time spent by children at home increases household spending
Ouyang Dachu, assistant professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at Lingnan University, said that the economy seemed to have recovered a lot in previous years, but the survey published this time found that the situation was not optimistic.
Ouyang Dachu said that two trends are expected to be maintained this year. The first is that students spend more time at home due to school suspension. Parents need to purchase additional resources to meet the needs of their children. At the same time, some parents will sacrifice job opportunities.
In addition, wage freezes and wage reductions for wage earners will continue.
Ouyang Dachu (right), Assistant Professor of the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at Lingnan University, said that he respects the government's "clearing" approach in epidemic prevention measures. Negative impact.
(Photo by Li Qianting)
Ouyang Dachu said that he respects the government's "clearing" approach in epidemic prevention measures, but since the government has decided to clear the direction, it should also take corresponding measures to avoid negative impacts on the public, such as isolation and forced inspection measures that make citizens lose their wages , working hours and job opportunities, the government should provide certain income protection, otherwise the cost of fighting the epidemic will be passed on to the grassroots in disguise. It is hoped that the government will actively intervene in dealing with related issues in future budgets.
Catering couple forced to stop work, take unpaid leave
Amy, who is currently living in a subdivided flat, is engaged in the catering industry. Due to the recent ban on dine-in in the evening market, the number of working days has dropped sharply.
Amy earns $500 a day and works five days a week to earn $2,500, but now she can only work a few hours a week and is expected to earn only about $300.
Amy and her husband, who is also in the catering industry, have two children aged 3 and 8. The husband took nearly 4 to 5 days of unpaid leave in just one month. It is estimated that the overall family income has dropped by one-third due to the anti-epidemic measures. .
In addition, the school closure has caused Amy to spend more time at home to take care of them, and food expenses have also increased significantly. She pointed out that it used to be cheaper to eat at school, and now it costs an average of 3,000 yuan per month to buy food.
She said frankly that she needs to save food and clothing at the moment, "I want to buy more children for the New Year once a year, but my family's income is low, so I don't dare to make a big one." I hope the government can help the grassroots citizens during the epidemic.
Group recommends raising minimum wage, providing unemployment benefits
Li Zhirong, a member of the grassroots vision, said that the current poverty alleviation policy is not perfect, which has not benefited many grassroots families. He pointed out that the minimum wage has been frozen since 2020, and the survey found that more than half of the citizens believe that it should be raised to $55.1 or more, so that grassroots families will not benefit. They can live a basic and dignified life. He also said that the newly launched fifth round of the "Anti-epidemic Fund" has once again failed to benefit the grassroots. He urged the government to formulate a short-term unemployment assistance policy as soon as possible.
In addition, Ouyang Dachu took the provision of personal unemployment assistance as an example, suggesting that the government should provide six months of assistance, and the amount should not be less than half of the median wage.
The group also pointed out that in order to take care of the needs of one-person working families, the government suggested that the government should provide cash allowances and child meal allowances to families according to the number of children, and at the same time allocate more resources for community care services to encourage family caregivers to go out to work to increase their income.
Under the epidemic, grass-roots children often eat canned fast food, and their physical activity decreases, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Unemployment is serious under the epidemic. Social enterprises "high-paying" hire grass-roots women to make "Zhiqi Flower Tea." Grassroots: Solving the problem of three meals a day, special furniture for children in subdivided rooms was launched in August, and 2,000 grassroots benefited from the use of detachable design materials
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