Early retrenchments due to the pandemic Covid 19

 

Early retrenchments due to the Pandemic covid 19

By: Amanda Nonsikelelo Nhlengethwa

Twitter: @Amanda_N_26

Email: nonsikeleloamanda5@gmail.com

 

Corona virus known as Covid-19 has brought massive changes in South Africa and those changes are now permanent people must live under certain rules in order to survive.

It has been full 2 years since the President of South Africa has announced that from March 2020 the country will be under lockdown, where no one was allowed to move, and no one was allowed to work during these hard times.

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The National Lockdown led to many job losses in the country, small and big business had to close because nothing was operating in the country. Most employees lost their jobs unfairly because businesses were suffering loss.

The economic destruction caused by Covid-19 has left millions of people in the country without their source of income. The spread of Covid-19 is causing pressure on vulnerable household.

“In 2020 employers dismissed lot of workers unfairly and unfortunately, I was one of those works who were retrenched. What makes it worse is that they didn’t even follow any protocols they just fired us without even a single warning. I was the only breadwinner at home, and we suffered a lot because of this pandemic,” said Mr. Zithulele Khumalo one of the employees who were retrenched in 2020 during National Lockdown.

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Poverty has risen in the country since many people were early retrenched, these reasons led to many people doing wrong things like crime.

Job losses were reported by all industries, but the moderate job losses were reported in the transport industry with 35 000 jobs, mining industry with 12 000 jobs, electricity industry with 3000 jobs, and full-time jobs decreased by 541 000.

Job crisis in 2020 was turning in social life crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered one of the worst crises. The real danger is that this crisis will increase poverty, crime and widen inequality between women and men.

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The Covid-19 job loss erased the last decade of employment growth, job losses in the informal sector and among domestic works together represent half of total employment losses.

A Domestic worker, Miss Nakedi Nkomo  said, “I was just a regular domestic worker supporting my family. I was called and told that I am fired due to Covid-19 they told me they are letting me go because I won’t be any help since they will now be home full time those words broke my heart into 1 thousand pieces.”

Corona virus has brought nothing but sadness in the country even in the taxi industry they had to let go of their drivers since nothing was working properly.

A taxi owner, Mr. Nathi Mthembu said “I lost lot of money because taxes were moving at a certain time and no taxi was allowed to be full I had to let go my loyal employees because I had no other option left.”

South Africa has overcome the dark situation and lots of people were employed back by their companies.