CONCLUSIONS/OUTCOMES FROM TWO SEMINARS HOSTED BY SATUCC DURING THE 16^TH CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM (CSF) ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WORKING PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

 Summary

1. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified a number of challenges that workers were already facing before COVID-19 emerged such as increase of insecure and informal work, lack of social protection, rising of unemployment which stand to exacerbate poverty and inequalities in Southern Africa.
2. The youth are more vulnerable due to high youth working poverty rates and because the youth are overrepresented in vulnerable and informal employment which are at great risk of worsening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Young women are facing an increasing double burden to manage both paid work and unpaid care and household work due to widespread school closures.

 Action points

1. Trade unions should be actively involved in the formulation and implementation of concerted responses on COVID-19 pandemic at both national and regional level
2. COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impacts on workers (including the vulnerabilities of women and young workers) should be included on the agenda for social dialogue and an item in the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs)
3. Trade unions should not only focus of reacting to the devastating impacts of COVID-19 pandemic in SADC region but also being pro-active with alternative proposals towards building sustainable economies after the COVID-19 pandemic
4. Trade unions should furnish the relevant data being sought by the researchers to finalise the SATUCC study on the impact of COVID-19 on workers in Southern Africa by 30^th August 2020