THE International Labour Organization (ILO) on Thursday warned the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic may spark social unrest if governments will not provide enough support for its workers, especially those in the informal sector during the crisis.
The labor arm of the United Nations issued the statement after reporting that as many as 1.6 billion of the world’s 2 billion informal economy workers are affected by containment measures implemented by Covid-affected countries.
These affected workers are mostly in the accommodation and food services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail, agriculture sector. It also includes household service workers.
“With most informal workers having no other means of support, they face an almost unsolvable dilemma: to die from hunger or from the virus,” ILO said in a statement.
“This is endangering governments’ efforts to protect the population and fight the pandemic. It may become a source of social tension in countries with large informal economies,” the report added.
As for informal sector workers who are still able to scrape a living during lockdowns, they face higher chances of being infected with Covid-19 since they usually don’t have any personal protective equipment (PPE), it noted.
ILO is pushing for measures to ensure the welfare and health care of informal sector workers during the Covid-19 crisis, especially since they comprise a considerable portion of the world’s work force.
These measures include reducing the exposure of informal workers to the virus by providing them PPEs and access to health care. It also includes providing them and their families with income and food support; and prevent damage to the economic fabric of countries.
Last, ILO said providing them with financial support such as subsidized loans and grace period on outstanding loans can help informal sector workers to prosper and even transition to the formal sector.
“Stimulating the economy and employment is essential to ensure that the social and economic consequences of the crisis are overcome,” ILO said.
Image credits: Roy Domingo
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