Labour Minister, Utoni Nujoma said the labour market has been in turmoil since before COVID-19. The market saw job losses, hence the need to institute dialogue and devise guidelines to address the impact of the pandemic in the labour market, the minister added. Nujoma said this is not the time to dismiss workers. “We need to hold hands to avoid unnecessary job losses,” he said. He said the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the labour sector. Advocate Vicki ya Toivo, Special Advisor to the Ministry of Labour said during the lockdown, employers may not dismiss an employee, terminate their contracts or force them on unpaid leave. Ya Toivo said the Social Security Commission (SSC) has made provisions through the employee compensation fund and employees can apply for extended leave days. She also encouraged employees to report unfair labour practices. The SSC chief executive officer (CEO), Milka Mungunda said the commission will give wage subsidies to sectors which have been affected more by COVID-19, such as construction, farming, manufactures, retailers, transport, domestic workers, entertainment among others. Mungunda said they will be conditions attached to the process. Subsidies will include the months of April, May and June, provided you are a member of SSC. She also said if you receive a subsidy from the Government, you will not get paid. She said the commission wants to provide a safety net for people who do not earn more than N$50 000 per year. She emphasised that all the information will be provided on their website. Companies will also get a contribution holiday from the commission. N$700 million is budgeted for the formal sector. She appealed to the public not to make phone calls to the commission about COVID-19 as people are working from home and every engagement will be done online. The trio said this during a panel discussion at the COVID-19 Communication Centre.