Earlier, the Omicron epidemic broke out in Yat Kwai House, Kwai Chung Village. The government imposed a mandatory quarantine order for five days from 6:00 pm last Friday (21st), and after that, in order to prevent the continued spread of the epidemic, it was necessary to extend the siege for two more days. Residents ended their one-week lockdown on Friday (28th).
On the same day, the government posted a notice in the village, stating that each household in Yak Kwai House can receive a "lucky bag" from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm by letter, which includes soft-hearted abalone, abalone chicken soup, king mushroom and Chinese sausage. The total value is about $414.
Miss Lian, a resident, displayed the "lucky bag", which contained abalone, abalone chicken soup, flower mushrooms, and Chinese sausage, and praised it "Zheng".
(Photo by Weng Yuhui)
Even though some households praised the government's move to distribute the welfare bags, some households believe that the impact of the enclosure is more far-reaching, and it is difficult to make up for the negative impact caused by material compensation alone.
For example, some residents who are freelancers said that they lost a quarter of their monthly income due to being unable to go out to work during the quarantine period, and even affected their basic expenses; some residents also pointed out that the government should take better measures in resource allocation so as not to suffer a loss of life. The fall caused a large amount of garbage to accumulate in the corridor, and there were not enough medical waste collection boxes to deal with used up protective clothing, etc.
Residents cooperate with epidemic prevention but face problems
Due to the quarantine order, some residents cannot go to work as usual, and some people lose their income or even work because of this. Therefore, rather than handing out lucky bags, the more effective way to repay the residents should be to protect their labor rights.
The Federation of Trade Unions held a press conference on Friday, saying that it had received 70 requests for help from workers in Kwai Chung Village, and even migrant workers who lived near the enclosed building were also affected and were asked by their employers to temporarily suspend work and take annual leave instead. .
Mr. Wu believes that the impact of the closed buildings on residents is more long-term and far-reaching, and it is not a lucky bag that can be compensated.
(Photo by Weng Yuhui)
However, the Bureau of Labor and Welfare only issued a warning on social media on Tuesday (23rd) that employers should not dismiss employees due to quarantine, restrictions and quarantine announcements, and mandatory testing announcements.
Although the Bureau has mentioned that the affected employees can contact the Labour Relations Division of the Labour Department for assistance and sue the employer to file a claim, why not take practical measures to prevent the problem from happening?
It's puzzling.
In fact, the bureau can consider issuing a one-time certificate of special circumstances with the Department of Health to protect the rights and interests of the working class, rather than complacently asking the working class to make claims after another incident, otherwise it will only allow some unscrupulous employers to take advantage , abuse of grey areas in the Employment Ordinance.
Mandatory enclosure testing arrangements need to be improved
Secondly, the government does not seem to have absorbed the economy from the earlier large-scale inspections in Tuen Mun. The preparations for dealing with emergencies are still insufficient, and the allocation of resources has not yet been perfected.
Long queues for testing in Tuen Mun earlier
The Kwai Tsing Neighborhood United Front, a regional organization, interviewed about 200 residents after the building was enclosed, and pointed out that the inadequacies that residents need to face include: the government does not provide enough daily necessities, food, and poor sanitation; at the same time, more than 80% of the respondents They were also dissatisfied with the quarantine arrangement, saying that the inappropriate segregation procedures of the residents caused crowds to gather, and the elevators were not disinfected in time, which increased the risk of infection.
The government must think hard, and for work that still has room for improvement, such as the protection of labor rights and interests, it must strive to avoid complacent, inject flexible thinking, and ensure that the labor class will not harm their rights and interests while assisting the government’s epidemic prevention work; The epidemic control work must also be done better every time, and it is not possible to "accept opinions" but "maintain the same attitude."
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