INDUSTRY
Within factories, it is often difficult to create distance between workers and too few protective equipment is present, so the risk of contamination remains. In the manufacture of protective equipment, more violations of working conditions are reported. When factories are closed, there is often no continued payment of workers.
- August 12 - Workers from the Chinese province of Hubei, where the city of Wuhan is located and where COVID-19 was first discovered, are discriminated against by their employers. A survey found that workers from Hubei are being made redundant, paid less or forced to stay at home.
- July 20 - There is a lot of uncertainty in the electronic sector due to COVID-19. Workers in Asia lose their work or hours, are not allowed to move and have no access to trade unions. Safety measures are inadequate. There is a threat of dismissal if workers do not show up due to, for example, illness.
- May 6 - During the COVID-19 crisis, cargo ship crews are not allowed off board. Contracts are renewed. This leads to increased work pressure and uncertainty about when they will disembark tomorrow. This causes more psychological problems among the crew of the ships.
- May 1 - Several governments order medical gloves in the COVID-19 crisis from manufacturers in Malaysia who were accused last year of forced labour and poor working conditions: workers were reportedly forced to work 12-hour days, 30 consecutive days, without rest.
- April 28 - In Colombia, a manufacturer has used 'force majeure' by COVID-19 as a reason to fire people, while the manufacturer is not in financial distress.
- April 21 - In a cellulose factory in Chile, where the raw material for paper and cardboard is produced, appropriate measures are not taken to protect workers from the spread of COVID-19. For example, there is still too little distance between workers and they do not have access to protective equipment.
- March 30 - Italian factory workers still working in the country's key sectors indicate that many workplaces do not provide adequate protection against the spread of COVID-19. For example, there is too little space to keep a distance and there is no disinfection gel.
- March 21 - Philippine factories are closing due to lack of materials. These include factories making cement, car parts and electronics. Factory employees are forced to go home, without being paid. This leads to unrest.