COVID - 19 & The World of Work: Present & the Future

The world of work is being badly affected by the global virus pandemic. In addition to the threat to public health, the economic and social disruption threatens the long-term livelihoods and wellbeing of millions. The ILO and its constituents – Governments, workers, and employers – will play a crucial role in combating the outbreak, ensuring the safety of individuals, and the sustainability of businesses and jobs.

Between 1 February and the present date, the majority of countries and territories announced social protection measures in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The highest number of responses are reported in Africa, America and Europe and Central Asia, where over half of the countries have introduced these measures, followed by Asia and the Pacific, and Arab states. The figures represent information on the response rate by country, region, date of the announcement, the function of social protection, and type of measure.

Responses cover all functions of social protection. Unemployment protection, income protection, housing, and special allowance gather more than 50 percent of measures. Health and food security play an important role in America, Africa, and the Arab States. Overall, most measures are of non-contributory nature, especially the introduction of new programs and benefits; while contributory nature is observed mainly in spending adjustments measures.

In all the regions, the introduction of new programs or benefits has been reported as the most common measure, including benefits for workers and their dependents, benefits for poor and vulnerable populations, introducing subsidies or reducing costs of necessities and utilities, etc. Many countries are progressing in extending the coverage of existing schemes and increasing the benefit level.

What is to Learn from COVID -19? Life is as absurd as it is meaningful. The source of all absurdity is death; we all have to die one day. The Coronavirus has not changed the way we live but also the way we die. Human solidarity nowadays is defined as not coming together but staying away from each other. Unity is demonstrated through self-isolation and social distancing for human survival. Even millennials who think they would live forever are now compelled to revisit their assumptions about life. Older people are praying for more time and opportunity to correct their moral deeds and be fit for doomsday. Death is also different. Small funerals, online memorials, and grieving from afar-is the way to go. People with Coronavirus reportedly face death alone. In the age of globalization, the phenomenon of mass production and consumption became globalized. More human and technological interaction, global supply change, increased migration and globalization of labour for the increasing cycle of production and consumption has given birth to global consumer societies that showed disrespect for anything not made by humans. It left to nature with not many options but to react to the onslaught of human disrespect for it. Coronavirus is an excellent example of this. Increased interconnection at the global level provided smooth sailing for Coronavirus to reach all parts of the world to kill thousands, but at the same time, it is taking its course to correct the state of things in the world. A significant negative impact on production and consumption is making the environment better. According to the Global News, amid the coronavirus outbreak, due to the shutting down of the production houses of mass production and diminishing consumption, a hole in the ozone layer is in recovery. According to New Scientist, a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica has continued to recover, leading to changes in atmospheric circulation. The ongoing recovery has, according to ScienceAlert, stopped many dangerous changes in the Southern Hemisphere’s atmosphere.

The first lesson is that we live on a finite planet with limited ecological and natural resources that ought to be preserved for sustainability purposes. If we neglect, nature will take its corrective measures taking the lives of thousands around the world. In this context, we need to revisit the concept “small is beautiful” introduced by E.F Schumacher long ago in 1973. He warned us against the avarice for more and more production and consumption at the stake of nature. After 47 years since he introduced his concept, the Coronavirus reminds us to reconsider his warning against the race for unlimited production and consumption.

The second lesson that we learn is individuals in the industrially advanced Western world are not as rational as it was assumed so far. The third and final important lesson that we learn is that eliminating poverty and inequality is not idealism. It is achievable provided there is a political will of the ruling elite around the world. If the current absurdity we face due to Coronavirus does not lead us to find new meanings of human life and nature, the pandemic of the same sort will keep reappearing.

To conclude:

What a tragedy to be in a world,

That spends billions on arms,

And not a coin unfurled

For plagues, disease, and harms,

When pandemics alone can wipe off our race,

Who needs weapons to rest the case?

Where malignity, greed and mammon reigns,

Nature with death responds and stains,

Had there been no creed, no nations, no divisions,

The world be a better place, and we’d all be one,

That’s the man for and all his blunders,

God’s failed project, amongst other wonders.

Lastly, again Safety: stay alert for every task you Do.....