ATFPM proposes ‘extra salary’ and ‘hardship allowance’ for frontline workers

Representatives from ATFPM with lawmaker Pereira Coutinho (center)

The Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM) met yesterday with the Chief Executive (CE) Ho Iat Seng, proposing that an extra salary be granted to all frontline workers that have been involved in the battle against Covid-19 and treatment of infected patients, among other proposals.
The CE is currently touring several associations to collect ideas and suggestions ahead of the presentation of the new government policy address.
The association, led by the lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho, took the opportunity to propose to the CE the enforcement of several measures related to the livelihood of civil servants and in connection with the current situation of the outbreak of Covid-19.
Regarding the exceptional extra payment for frontline workers, the president of the ATFPM said that it would work as an acknowledgment of the workers’ sacrifice and the risks taken, as well as an encouragement and recognition of their courage.
The association also took the opportunity to revive an old ambition from its directly elected lawmakers, who have expressed the need for the creation of a “hardship allowance” for civil servants involved in high-risk duties, such as medical staff and security forces, at the Legislative Assembly on several occasions.
The idea, which has been aired several times, namely during the occurrence of natural catastrophes, such as typhoons, is gaining new strength with the Covid-19 outbreak, with the association calling for a special subsidy as well as a reinforced insurance plan for all workers dealing with epidemic situations.
“We propose the creation of a hardship allowance for some professions, as the current epidemic situation has highlighted the need to create this form of subsidy as well as life insurance for an added number of workers, such as the one in place for the members of the Public Security Police Force Tactical Intervention Unit,” Pereira Coutinho noted.
Coutinho also said that the ATFPM thinks that the civil servants on the frontline of the battle against the disease should be considered as a group to be targeted with screening tests for Covid-19 as has happened previously with hotel and casinos shuttle bus drivers.

SURVEY ONUNEMPLOYMENT NEEDED
Besides the topics relating to the rights of civil servants, the ATFPM also brought to the attention of the CE other topics related to resident workers and the impacts of Covid-19 on local job conditions.
The association called for a survey to identify the real number of residents who are currently unemployed or at the risk of losing their jobs so they may be immediately repositioned into other job openings in the short to mid-term.
For Pereira Coutinho, is important to ascertain how many people were rendered unemployed by the pandemic and also list people who are unemployed and classify them into two groups: those who have concluded university studies and those without training or academic qualifications.
The association also noted that it is important to survey how many people are currently enrolled in training in the healthcare field so that when their training finishes, they will able to immediately serve as reinforcements within the healthcare field.
Also regarding unemployment and lay-off situations caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, the ATFPM called on the CE to promote changes and reform to public administration to ban any dismissals during periods of extreme crisis and to create a temporary social emergency unemployment allowance for all the workers that have been dismissed due to the effects of the pandemic.
The association also proposed that all housing rental contracts that expire during the period of the pandemic be automatically extended until after the pandemic is considered finished, to avoid situations in which people are forced to move house and find another house during a time at which they supposed to avoid going out as much as possible, among other issues.
Questioned by the Times on the feedback received by the CE on the topics in discussion, the president of the ATFPM said that the CE “was receptive to all our proposals. He said he will think about them,” adding, “Our proposals are good but a little hard to take [by the higher-ranked officials] as they are not used to watching out for the most vulnerable.”
The CE will continue visiting several civil society associations in the upcoming days, ahead of the final presentation of the Policy Address for this year, which is expected to happen later this month at the Legislative Assembly.