Dahil batid na mahirap ang mawalan ng trabaho ngayong may pandemic, inatasan ni Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade ang iba pang ahensiyang nagpapatakbo ng railway system na kupkupin ang mga kuwalipikadong kawani ng Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) na matatanggal sa trabaho.

Ang mga railway system na tinutukoy ni Tugade ay ang Philippine National Railways (PNR), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), at Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3).

“Hire qualified personnel to our rail lines and projects. Kawawa ang mga tao. Kung kailan pandemya, tsaka pa sila mawawalan ng trabaho,” saad ng kalihim sa isang pahayag nitong Miyerkules.

“We must look into the possibility of absorbing them as quickly as we can. Huwag natin silang pabayaan. It’s the least and most humane thing we can do for them at this time,” dagdag niya.

Nitong Martes, inihayag ng pamunuan ng Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC)., na namamahala sa LRT1, na kailangan nilang magbawas ng 100 tauhan dahil na rin sa paghina ng kita bunga ng pagbaba ng bilang ng mga sumasakay sa tren sanhi ng COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ang tinawag na "right-sizing" program o pagbabawas ng mga kawani ay magsisimula umano sa September 15, 2020.

“We thank the DOTr for the assistance in reviewing how to remedy the displacement of affected LRMC employees. We continue to partner with the government on this issue, and remain open to recalibrate our plans,” sabi naman LRMC sa hiwalay na pahayag.

Kasabay nito, sinabi ni Tugade na dapat ipa-swab test para sa COVID-19 ng LRMC ang kanilang mga kawani.

“They should swab all their people. Cost is not the primary issue here. We can discuss who absorbs the cost at some later time. What matters most is the health and safety of commuters and their employees,” dagdag ng kalihim.

Inatasan din ni Tugade sina PNR general manager Junn Magno at Assistant Secretary Fidel Cruz, na suriin ang health and safety protocols na ipinatutupad ng LRMC para maiwasan ang hawahan ng COVID-19.

Tiniyak naman ng LRMC na ginagawa nila ang kailangan para mapangalagaan ang kanilang mga kawani at mga pasahero.

“We have ramped up our disinfection measures using Ultraviolet C (UVC) technology, deployed thermal cameras for entry screening, and developed a contact tracing app feature for the public to receive the protection they deserve,” ayon sa LRMC

“In line with Department of Health (DOH) testing guidelines, LRMC has so far adopted a strategic, risk-based testing approach for the conduct of RT-PCR tests among its employees. Through an internal contact tracing protocol based on the DOH criteria, LRMC has prioritized those with symptoms (suspect cases) and those with exposures to confirmed cases,” dagdag nito. --FRJ, GMA News