Interruption of production or closure of entire factories. Due to the omicron, companies are afraid of massive employee outages – Startitup

Employers in Slovakia are afraid of massive outages due to the spreading omicron. According to the Republican Employers’ Union (RÚZ), according to experts, another wave of the pandemic at the end of January could cause a sudden loss of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of employees in various sectors of the economy.

They are therefore addressing the government with a number of requests and have taken the initiative in preparing internal crisis scenarios.

Low vaccination rate

“The companies are tested, the division of employees within the framework of work shifts is observed, employees remain motivated to be vaccinated and strict hygienic measures are observed. “ said RÚZ secretary Martin Hošták. However, he considers the low vaccination rate in many regions, especially in the east of Slovakia, to be a key risk factor in this context.

“At the same time, most employers have been facing an acute shortage of employees for a long time, which, combined with a possible massive increase in positivity in work teams, may mean a complete interruption of production or the closure of the entire company.He points out.

Regular testing at your own expense?

In this context, employers are asking the government to present a plan to significantly increase the vaccination rate of the population. If a positive employee is caught, they suggest shortening the quarantine period; according to them, non-vaccinated employees should pay for regular testing at their own expense.

source: unsplash / Irina

“Employees have a solution at their disposal from the beginning, which the state provides them with free of charge, and that is vaccination. If they voluntarily decide not to use it, we see no reason why other colleagues should pay it from their taxes and levies,“Stressed the president of RÚZ Miroslav Kiraľvarga.

Source: SITA