Nupsaw to picket outside Dis-Chem warehouse over COVID-19 safety standards

The National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw) members will picket outside Dis-Chem’s warehouse in Midrand, Johannesburg on Monday.

The union accuses the group of pharmacies of refusing to comply with COVID-19 safety standards at one of its warehouses in the city.

However, Dis-Chem has denied this.

The union says the company has refused to identify and isolate high-risk persons at the warehouse.

It says ten coronavirus cases have been detected at the warehouse and that staff have to pay for their own testing.

The union wants the warehouse closed to be sanitized.

Dis-Chem’s HR Director Caryn Eliasov-Barker says they are willing to discuss the issues with affected employees.

She says there are also employees who have no symptoms, but are insisting to be tested.

“We have put protocols and temperatures are tested every morning on their arrival to work and they are also questioned on any symptoms that they may display. If any employee is unwell they are immediately [sent] to our in-house clinic department, where they are further assessed and a swab test is done by one of our nurses. These tests are not charged for and we bare all the costs including related admin processes.”

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in South Africa has risen to 70 038 on Sunday. The Department of Health says 4 302 new cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours. The total death toll in the country stands at 1 480. There are now 38 531 recoveries.