Avoiding crowds now and in future

THE EDITOR: The covid19 pandemic has clearly established the need for us to seek to avoid crowds to help control the spread of the virus. We certainly look forward to a return to normalcy. However, it may well be as good a time as any for us to examine the benefits of staying away from, or reducing, crowds as much as possible, even beyond this pandemic.

We have had viruses over the years, but nothing comparable to the coronavirus. We recall our naming them as “Jaitoon,” “Six Per Cent,” “Kung Fu,” among others. In every case we sought to avoid coming into contact with people infected. We will continue to have these challenges and should learn from our experiences.

In this regard I renew my call made over the past few years for staggered paydays as opposed to our month-end salary payment over two days when we have massive traffic jams, difficulty to find parking space, long queues at cashiers, banks, utility payment centres, large crowds at supermarkets and the resultant loss of time and productivity. By contrast, the mid-month is so much easier. We saw the closure of a supermarket recently for overcrowding.

The Supermarkets Owners Association may well be interested in such a proposal and should lend support to it.

We may consider the Government, as the largest employer, on a schedule of, for example, paying Education Ministry employees between the 15th to 18th of the month, National Security 19th to 22nd, Health 23rd to 26th and other ministries thereafter.

This will definitely reduce the problems outlined above and eliminate the possibility of late payment of salary which has occurred in the past. Additionally, it brings no cost to employers who after the first payment will have one month for subsequent periods.

The private sector may do well to adopt a similar benefit to their employees. Early salaries will ensure due payments of things like mortgages, rents, hire purchases, loans, sending funds abroad.

There are definite advantages in such an arrangement and I recommend it again to all employers, starting with the Government. Perhaps the trade unions as well as the Employers Consultative Association and chambers will also see the benefits and begin discussions as part of future bargaining in the interest of the workers.

LENNOX SIRJUESINGH

via e-mail