2024-02-28 06:09:15
The dengue epidemic is at the origin of a dispute between the government and the Mauritian unions. Staff representatives denounce, this Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the decision to deduct from their paid leave, the ten-day absence which is imposed on employees suffering from the disease or simply testing positive.
Despite the absence of official reports, the dengue epidemic has not been eradicated from Mauritius. On Tuesday, the unions stepped up to denounce the decision to subtract the ten days of absence, imposed on employees affected by this virus, from their 15 days of annual paid leave.
Fayzal Ally Beegun, textile union representative, explains to L’Express de Maurice : “The person is suffering from dengue with aches and pains that are likely to persist for some time. They may be forced to take a few more days off due to the pain. Once their balance is exhausted, what is the option? is there left? We must not forget that it is only February.”
The trade unionist wishes to obtain the establishment of special leave: “Employees will go to work even if they are sick to avoid losing their leave. In these cases, they risk being bitten by mosquitoes and infecting other staff members.”
The president of the Mauritius Labor Congress (Confederation of Free Trade Unions), Haniff Peerun, notes the lack of consultation: “From a labor law perspective, this represents a fundamental change with regard to leave. It would have been necessary to have discussions with worker representatives to find an appropriate solution and this could have been done around ‘a negotiating table’.
The Federation of Civil Service and Other Unions and President of the National Trade Union Confederation, via Narendranath Gopee : “Sick leave is a condition of service for any employee. The fact that it is part of an employee’s terms and regulations makes it illegal to change it through a simple communiqué. The Ministry of Labor has a body called the Tripartite .He should have convened this committee so that they could discuss and resolve this type of problem.”
Clearly, this unilateral decision is not unanimous. It should weigh on the social climate in the coming weeks, because it concerns all Mauritian employees.
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