Members of the business community have expressed concern about the restrictions on business hours in the new declaration of continued public health emergency due to coronavirus, which go into effect Monday.
Of particular concern is how the limited hours of operation will affect the territory’s biggest private employer StarKist Samoa, to which 80 percent of the economy is tied.
The cannery operates three shifts and is almost a 24-hour operation.
KHJ News asked the Chairman of the ASG Coronavirus Task Force Iulogoloo Joseph Pereira if there’s any special consideration for StaKist which employs about 2000 people.
He said they have just received the advisory and guidance from StarKist which “pretty much mirrors the dictates of the Governor’s Declaration.”
“The governor is considering the advisory and guidance from StarKist which provides ownership of the proposed actions it will implement predicated on each threat level,” saod Iulogologo,
He said the governor will get a decision to StarKist before the declaration goes into effect on Monday.
And added our economy is already taking a nose dive so we try not to exacerbate the situation by disrupting its production activities at this point.
According to StarKist employees the cannery has been running a promotion to try and get more workers to meet production quotas as absenteeism has been high.
There’s speculation that the lax attendance is related to the issuance of tax refund checks and Gita food assistance coupons.
Employees who are able to bring in new hires are awarded with one case of tuna for each employee that’s hired but the new hires must have worked for a month.
