MTS tells JSC: 25 workers lost to covid19

SINCE the start of the covid19 pandemic in March 2020, 25 National Maintenance Training and Security Company LTd (MTS) workers have died after contracting the virus.

The company says it has been encouraging its workers to be vaccinated against covid19 and estimates that 40-45 per cent of its workers are vaccinated. It says it has not received any recent information from the Government on plans to introduce public sector covid19 safe zones in February.

MTS human resources manager Alana Hosein and CEO Lennox Rattansingh made these comment to members of the Parliament's State Enterprises Committee during a virtual meeting on Monday.

Hosein lamented that 25 MTS workers died from covid19 since the start of the pandemic. She also said, during the course of the pandemic 500 employees were in quarantine at different times, and 111 tested positive.

Asked whether workers were given incentives to get vaccinated, Hosein said, "We give time off (with) full pay for employees to get vaccinated."

Time off with pay is also given to workers who feel symptoms of covid19. MTS, she continued, may provide transport to workers to get to vaccination sites in certain circumstances.

Opposition Senator Wade Mark asked if MTS placed any restrictions on unvaccinated workers. Hosein replied, "No. We have no restrictions at this time for unvaccinated staff."

She said MTS has four contracts with different entities that require vaccinated staff. "We have been able to provide it (vaccinated employees to satisfy those contracts)."

Unvaccinated workers who may have been initially assigned to any of those contracts were reassigned to other areas. In terms of workers who provided documents of their vaccination status to the company, Hosein said that figure is around 25 per cent of the workforce.

While some workers have not provided their vaccination status, Hosein said, "We feel at MTS it's more in line with what is the national average (for covid19 vaccination) which is possibly about 40-45 per cent."

Rattansingh said MTS is doing its best to ensure that its workers and clients are protected against covid19. "We have not been sleeping at all."

MTS has not had any interaction with either the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs or the Public Administration Ministry about public sector covid19 safe zone legislation.

But Rattansingh said MTS has taken a pro-vaccination stance from day one and encourages its workers to get vaccinated.

"We utilise every available public space that (are) vaccination points."

He identified NAPA and SAPA, the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, as well as sites offered by private-sector entities such as the Supermarkets Association, where workers were encouraged to go to get vaccinated.