Vaccinate cleaners, guards and gardeners along with teachers - group

 

The Jaringan Pekerja Kontrak Kerajaan (JPKK) has expressed its support for the demand to prioritise school teachers in the vaccination process but reminded authorities not to forget the cleaners, security guards and gardeners.

It pointed out that these contract workers were also considered frontliners in the fight against Covid-19. 

"We welcome the proposal to vaccinate teachers to ensure the continuity of the student's education.

"At the same time, we also remind not to forget the contract workers on school premises such as cleaning workers, security guards and gardeners who also form frontliners in the school.

"They should also be given priority along with the teachers in the school in the vaccination process," said JPKK coordinator Danial Hakeem.

The JPKK is a group representing government contract workers and has found itself fighting for equal recognition for its members as frontliners, most notably in the case of hospital cleaners.

"School cleaners and security guards represented by JPKK urge the government to view their sacrifices in the struggle to help the country recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Many Covid-19 clusters had erupted in schools prior to the recent closure of school period activities.

"Cleaners and guards actually play an important role, such as waste management, sanitation, safety care, (ensuring) social distancing and temperature checks of teachers, students and other visitors," Danial added.

Therefore, he said JPKK wants its members to be listed as vaccine recipients as soon as possible as there is a tendency for their contributions to be ignored by the school administrations.

"The government should also consider providing special frontline allowances to these workers.

"Apart from prioritising vaccinations, cleaning contract workers and security guards also urge that their condition in schools be monitored by the authorities immediately during this movement control order (MCO).

"JPKK has received various complaints about the misconduct of contractors who do not comply with labour laws throughout the country where some contractors still make deductions in the salaries of cleaning workers and school security guards during MCO even though this is a government contract and the government does not make any salary cuts," Danial added. - Mkini