Getus’ reactions to President Ramkalawan’s speech |23 November 2020

“The executive committee of Getus (General Employer Trade Union of Seychelles) and its members join the general feeling of the Seychelles population in appreciation of the first 24 days of President Wavel Ramkalawan’s presidency.

“We all know that we are facing a very difficult situation, economically and also at health level. We all know that there is no magic wand to fix everything in one go. But it will take a united effort from all Seychellois, working in the public sector, parastatal and private sector to be able to re-address the very critical financial situation.

“We all know that as per the IMF, we will have to work hard for the next 4 to 5 years to be able to reach the positive level of financials we had in 2019.

“With regard to the 13th month salary, as Getus defends the interest of employers, we have to agree that this is really good news for all employers, especially those who were not assisted by the financial support scheme (FA4JR). It will have been an additional burden for those businesses who are not yet back on their feet because of the economic situation.

“Tourism, construction, manufacturing, import, all are facing the same difficulties. Some more than others, but we have to say that everybody in the private sector is struggling to survive and to be able to reach the end of month financial

obligation (employees, bills, suppliers, ….)

“With regard to the financial support (FA4JR), Getus has since the beginning of the scheme had its reservations with regard to abuse and unfairness. We heard many situations where businesses who did not need the financial assistance have indeed received it, and those who were desperately in need of financial support

were denied the assistance for unjust reasons. The principle of extending the scheme is a good initiative and Getus supports it, but there will be a need to ensure a fair and clear process, whereby the employer will receive the financial support to pay the employees’ salary, and a system to ensure that the employer do pay the salary to the employees.

“President Ramkalawan has also reinforced the call for all Seychellois to become more serious in the world of work to boost local productivity, more responsibility, and unity - promoting a world of work where equality, respect of people’s rights without any discrimination reigns. This is also the view of Getus, there is a need to look into those people that are just sitting at home and waiting for financial

support from government without even trying to enter the world of work, while others are working hard for the wellbeing of their families and the country.

“There is a need to stop abusing the system, as the President said, at the moment there is no question of choosing a job, but it is time to open our mind and take a job that can allow our families to survive. There is high demand in the construction industry for manpower, the Covid situation is limiting (for a clear and right reason) foreign labour, so those in various unemployment schemes must step up. Government is ready to support re-skilling, and so the private sector is ready to help in reskilling locals in jobs such as masonry, carpentry, plumbing, painting, mechanic, tile fixing, foreman, and many more. Many members of Getus are ready to work with the new government to reduce the loopholes created over the years. This will not resolve the gap but will help to ensure Seychellois get employment and new skills.

“Another important point that the new government will need to look into, is the big confusion that has been created with regard to GOP and new quota system. As the situation imposes a close monitoring of who’s entering the country, this will be a great opportunity to review all companies that are regulated

under a quota system to have a general re-scaling reflecting the new quota proposed early this year during the SONA in February by former President Danny Faure.

“President Ramkalawan announced stricter measures for those businesses who are not abiding by the new PHA guidelines, and this is supported by Getus, as we do have a mandate to defend the employer’s rights, but we do not support businesses who do not respect laws and regulations.

“To conclude, the direction of the new government of President Ramkalawan has started with a series of decisions that we, as Getus, support. We do look forward to a better structured dialogue platform with government on how to respond to current challenges (as correctly stated by our partners at SCCI). We will need to

work as a team for any policy decision that will directly impact the private sector. The only way to surmount this very difficult economic situation in Seychelles is that we must be united, put aside the “competitor” cap for now, and work as a team to bring the economy back to its pre-Covid state.

Getus secretariat