Arcelor Mittal worker of Lesaka dies from COVID-19
- A 58-year-old worker from Arcelor Mittal in Lesaka has died this early morning, according to LAB and ELA unions. LAB believes that this death could have been avoided if safety measures had been taken at the company. ELA, for its part, denounced the attitude of the Government of Navarra to the situation created in Navarra.
The unions have transferred their support and condolences to the relatives and relatives of the child "at this very difficult time". This operator, although a member of the Arcelor Mittal factory in Lesaka, worked as a painter at the Legasa plant that Arcelor Mittal has near Lesaka.
"This death could be avoided. LAB alerted the company of the need to adopt safety measures, especially when the first worker with symptoms was sent home on March 13, but we were not heeded, so LAB filed a complaint with the Labor Inspectorate on March 17 requesting further safety measures," the union said.
According to data provided by the company itself, at least 13 workers are on COVID-19 leave and others are under quarantine. The union has recalled that in other plants of the multinational there are also more workers affected by the influenza A virus.
"This death is a terrible shock, because it informs us of the seriousness of the current situation and forces us to extremes the security measures and to paralyze any activity that is not essential. LAB requires the Labor Inspectorate to go to the deceased's workplace, investigate what happened and stop all activity until safe working conditions exist. We also call on the multinational to prioritise the health of workers over economic gain and to halt all activity until it has an effective safety protocol agreed with workers’ representatives. We don't want to get into the factory and get out into a coffin," said LAB.
LAB calls on the staff to participate in mobilizations to report this death.
ELA denounces the attitude of the Government of Navarra
ELA has denounced that the priority of the Government of Navarra has been to maintain economic activity "at all costs" and what is not essential for the union.
In this regard, ELA reiterates to the government that "it must increase the means of NOPLOI and the Labour Inspectorate to force employers to ensure that measures against COVID-19 are implemented in the workplaces" and warns that it will be "very demanding" in demanding compliance "to paralyse any action necessary to protect workers' health".
