THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas has tackled the economic impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) scare particularly to Boracay Island in Aklan, the region’s top tourist destination.
The matter was taken up during the Board’s meeting in Iloilo City on Wednesday, in reference to the inquiry of labor representative to the RTWPB-Western Visayas Wennie Sancho.
Sancho, also the secretary general of the General Alliance of Workers Associations (Gawa), said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) - Aklan, in a letter to Regional Director Cyril Ticao, reported that they have started monitoring the effect of Covid-19 as early as January 28 this year.
The monitoring, according to Dole-Aklan Head Carmela Abellar, was conducted before the airports locked down the entry of Chinese tourists, Sancho said.
“This was prompted by the inquiry from management, mostly restaurants, on the requirements of temporary closure of business due to cancellation of bookings from partner tour agency based in China,” he added.
On February 5, the agency had a meeting with the management and stakeholders orienting them on Labor Advisory No. 04-20 providing the “Guidelines of 2019 Novel Corona Virus Prevention and Control in the Workplace.”
The labor leader said affected establishments in Boracay Island have temporarily closed or have adopted flexible work scheme.
Data showed that there were 20 establishments that have temporarily closed affecting 378 workers.
These are on top 20 other establishments that have adopted flexible work schemes affecting 1,260 workers. A total of 1,638 workers were affected, it added.
Sancho said most of the establishments have adopted flexible work schemes such as reduction of work days like four a week duty and rotation of workers every 15 days a month for two to three months.
“Some workers opted to go on forced leave and returned to their respective provinces,” he added.
Gawa earlier expressed apprehensions that the ongoing scare brought by coronavirus will adversely affect the labor sector, particularly employment.
“It is a serious concern affecting business and economy,” the Negros Occidental-based labor group had said.
Tourist-related jobs were adversely affected such as tour guides and workers in the hotel and restaurants in places like Boracay Island, its secretary general said.
“Tourist destination areas will slowdown in their operations and will be forced to downsize their personnel to prevent losses,” Sancho earlier said, adding that “ancillary services in tourist destinations will also close their businesses.