TDM denies allegations staff were forced to take unpaid leave

Public broadcaster TDM has denied allegations that it asked some of its employees to take unpaid leave following the outbreak of Covid-19.

To deter the spread of the virus, the government has implemented several measures, which includes encouraging companies to avoid sending workers living in mainland China across the border for work.

Recently, information about workers being required to take unpaid leave circulated on social media.

The president of TDM’s Executive Council, Manuel Pires, has denied the allegations, calling them rumors. Pires said that the company had only received requests for unpaid leave.

“There were no unpaid leave orders that were imposed on workers. I admit that there have been requests from workers to take unpaid leave, but I do not recall any cases. I guarantee that the company did not ask anyone to take an unpaid vacation,” Pires told Portuguese newspaper Hoje Macau.

However, he admitted that there were employees living in the neighboring region that were asked take days of vacation leave while they are unable to go to work.

“I admit that there are cases where the superiors agreed with the workers so that they could take vacation days during this situation,” Pires added.

On another note, amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the official said that workers who came from the mainland during the Chinese New Year period did not undergo a 14-day quarantine period due to the company’s workload.

Although the situation may have caused discomfort for some workers who would have preferred that their colleagues be sent home, he assured that they were required to wear masks in the newsroom.

“Unfortunately, we cannot afford to have these workers isolated for 14 days, because we have a service that never stops,” Pires said.

TDM’s Executive Council did not immediately reply to a Times enquiry on the matter yesterday.

LV