Nedlac Close Out Webinar Series

Since March 2020, the social partners at Nedlac have engaged amongst themselves and with other stakeholders including the economic work stream of the NatJoints set up to co-ordinate government’s response to ensure that the impact on both lives and livelihoods of the Covid19 pandemic was minimised.

The areas of engagement have included:

  • Balancing lockdown measures to prevent transmission of the virus with maintaining livelihoods, especially in tourism and event sectors;
  • Roll out of vaccines;
  • Management of Covid19 in the workplace;
  • Provision of income replacement to workers, relief to the unemployed, and support to businesses; and
  • Roll out of PPE including promoting local production.

Social partners have lobbied, negotiated, provided feedback, implemented, partnered, and exercised oversight with a high degree of consensus while the Covid19 virus has evolved and the scientific response has developed and shifted.  There is now a recognition that while there may be further pandemic phases, the Covid19 is now endemic and therefore the response to Covid19 needs to be integrated into a new normal, with general public health measures and occupational health and safety interventions in place.

In this context, there is no longer a need for a Covid19 rapid response task team but it is proposed that it is appropriate for social partners to consider the lessons learnt and make proposals for the ongoing management of Covid19 as well where a legacy can be created. There is also a need to ensure outstanding matters of the NRRTT are allocated at an appropriate home in Nedlac or another forum. To take this forward Nedlac and Mistra hosted two webinars, on July 19, 2022 and August 02, 2022, looking at lessons and legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic for social contracting and social partnerships. Nedlac also hosted a launch event on 16 August 2022 for the Covid19 workplace health and safety management programme which includes looking at the recent ILO decision to elevate the importance of workplace occupational health and safety.

 

Webinar 1: Social Contracting During The Covid 19 Pandemic – July 19, 2022

This webinar will focus at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, it could be argued that the social contract between the people and government was high, with strong adherence to lockdown restrictions.  However, by the end of the pandemic, this was reversed with, for example, far fewer numbers of people agreeing to be vaccinated.  This webinar will focus on what happened to the social contract looking at adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures, respect for lockdown regulations, and attitudes to vaccination.
Webinar details: Tuesday, 19 July, 8h30 to 10h30

PRESENTATIONS

Webinar 2: Partnering During The Covid-19 Pandemic – August 02, 2022

This webinar will focus the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown, economic distress, and the 2021 July unrest saw significant levels of consensus and working together between the social partners. This webinar will focus on the different kinds of collaboration and partnership that developed, what lessons can be learnt and how can partnerships be sustained where relevant going forward.
Webinar details: Tuesday, 2 August 2022, 8:30 to 10:30

PRESENTATIONS, AUGUST 02, 2022

Webinar 3: NEDLAC/NIOH Training Programme Launch: Management of Occupational Health and Safety

This Webinar launched the partnership between the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) and the social partners at Nedlac to roll out a training programme with webinars, videos and fact sheets focusing on how to manage Covid19 in the workplace. This was an initiative to respond to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) decision to elevate the importance of workplace occupational health and safety. The Webinar also focused on topics such as risk assessments which can contribute more broadly to health and safer workplaces and as such is a legacy project of the NRRTT.

Presentations: