STEP workers attached to businesses allowed to open should report to work

Published 29 April 2020

Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source

STEP workers attached to businesses allowed to open should report to work

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, April 29, 2020 (S.T.E.P.) — With the easement of some State of Emergency Regulations which allow for limited business operations as the Federation continues the fight to defeat COVID-19, workers on the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) Community Enhancement Teams, and STEP workers attached to businesses that are open, have been requested to report for duty.

“Based on the guidelines given by the Prime Minister and the COVID-19 National Task Force, we at STEP we are closely following those guidelines,” said STEP Director, Mr Emile Greene. “Businesses that have STEP workers and they are allowed to open, the STEP management has no problem and in fact the STEP workers attached to those businesses should go out to work as well.”

However, Mr Greene noted, the STEP is urging those businesses to strictly follow the guidelines established and to ensure that every precaution is taken to eliminate the possible transmission of the coronavirus.

“We have indicated to those businesses and also to farmers that they can contact the workers who are attached to them, persons who are assigned on the STEP, and they can call them out to work once the business is allowed to be open,” the STEP Director added.

Members of the STEP Community Enhancement Teams were expected to return to work since last week Thursday April 23 as an okay for them to return to work had been given on Monday April 20, when STEP Management met with STEP’s field officers. At the meeting, the filed officers were given guidelines and any of their questions were answered. It was stressed at the meeting that the STEP’s priority at this time is the safety of the people.

“While we want you to work, and while we want you to clean the communities, to enhance the natural beauty of the communities, we advise the field officers that every precaution must be taken to ensure the safety of each individual worker,” observed Mr Greene. “That means they are to wear a mask, there must be physical distancing as well – six feet or more – and if more than one person is handling a tool, those tools must be sanitised from one person to the next.”

The STEP Management also advised that any persons who are prone to catching the coronavirus, people who maybe have compromised immune system, whether due to asthma or some other respiratory disease, and if there is a request then those persons can be allowed to return home to prevent any issue arising out of their being out in the field working.

Mr Greene advised that the Skills Training Empowerment Programme, even as it is requiring that all community enhancement teams be out at work, will be monitoring to ensure that the workers are  adhering and complying with the guidelines and if not, further instructions will be issued as they will not be allowed to compromise the health and safety of others.

STEP’s Payroll Supervisor, Ms Marjorie Jordan, has in the meantime advised that all employers who have STEP workers attached to their businesses were effective Monday April 27 expected to be responsible for bringing to the STEP office timesheets for persons that are attached to their businesses.

“Employers are asked to continue to comply with the bringing in the timesheets on Mondays and Tuesdays as we would have done in the past,” advised Ms Jordan. “They are encouraged to submit timesheets dated the 26^th of April to the 2^nd of May to the payroll office on Tuesday May 5. Moving forward, timesheets would be submitted as normal in the past on Mondays or Tuesdays before 4:00 pm if those will be limited operation days.”