FEDIL, a multisectoral business federation in Luxembourg, has requested priority access to COVID-19 vaccination for certain categories of employees in the industrial and logistics sectors.
On the occasion of the Trade and Investment Board (TIB) meeting on Tuesday, held under the chairmanship of Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot and in the presence of His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke, FEDIL invited the government to consider prioritising employees in these sectors for COVID-19 vaccination, as part of their international actities.
More specifically, FEDIL requested that the following employees be prioritised for vaccination:
- specialists from Luxembourg technology companies having to go on essential missions in countries at very high risk of infection or in countries which require vaccination to avoid long-term quarantine;
- air crews making a stopover in countries that require vaccination to avoid long-term quarantine:
- seafarers performing an essential function on vessels under the Luxembourg flag, following the example of Belgium and several other countries which are members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
FEDIL explained that the companies concerned depend critically on the mobility of some of their employees, despite the many possibilities for working remotely. The federation also recalled the essential and crucial role of the logistics sector in ensuring flawless supply at a time when the shortage of certain products remains relevant.
FEDIL added that priority access to vaccination for people carrying out the above-mentioned activities should not come at the expense of vulnerable people or workers who are directly exposed to the disease. The federation maintained that, at the current stage of the vaccination campaign, the time has come to broaden the debate on priority access to vaccination to categories of employees whose travel abroad is essential to operate important parts of the economy.
