Union workers allege some industries unilaterally cut quarantine leave period
Amid a COVID-19 surge, the duration of quarantine leave for infected workers has become a matter of controversy.
Though the Karnataka government has petitioned to reduce the period of quarantine leave from 14 days to seven, many industries have already reduced the quantum of leave without waiting for approval from the government.
In January 2021, the state government made it mandatory to provide 14 days of quarantine leave to workers infected with COVID-19 in Karnataka under the Disaster Management Act. While many industries are following the rule, many large industries have unilaterally reduced the number of days – from 5 days to 7 days, allegation of union representatives.
revised guidelines
The revision of the quarantine period by the health department seems to have prompted the industries to take a unilateral decision. The department revised the period of quarantine to ‘at least seven days’ from the earlier 14 days. It is also stated that the person should not report fever for three preceding and consecutive days.
Citing this reason, the Karnataka Employers’ Association (KEA) wrote to the government last week seeking reduction of the quarantine leave to 7 days.
AITUC secretary M. Satyanand said, “The 14-day rule has not yet been reviewed by the government and industries cannot take unilateral decisions.” Besides, he said, “There is no mechanism to check whether the person does not have fever for three consecutive days. There may be instances of workers reporting to work because there is not enough leave,” he said.
industry stand
The industry has been seeking government intervention citing supply disruptions citing shortage of manpower in the production line. In fact, the KEA in its letter to the Chief Secretary said, “Though the medical recommendation is for seven days, the guidelines for January 2021 recommend 14 days. As a result, it is observed that the employees whose reports have come positive , they are availing 14 days of quarantine.” Association president BC Prabhakar also said that some workers are ‘misusing’ the situation, thereby affecting work.
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