South Africa Bank Union Criticizes Lenders Over Slow Virus Response

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — A South African labor union representing 73,000 banking employees said it hasn’t been informed on how a national lockdown will affect workers providing essential services.
“The absence of such information is of serious concern because we need to give our members exact details on what the impact will be of the working arrangements on staff and how the selection of key employees to keep finance services afloat during this national lockdown, will be managed,” the union known as Sasbo said in a statement.
None of its members will go to work on Friday after the lockdown begins. “Now is the time when Sasbo is seeking guarantees that staff will be remunerated in full,” it said. It also wants to know whether safe public transport will be arranged and that minimum health standards will be applied to call centers and branches.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lockdown in a televised address to the nation Monday, a move that will bring all activity except the provision of essential services, including banking, to a halt.
Source: Bloomberg Business News