FG to sanction erring firms over delay in ECA implementation – Ngige

The Federal Government of Nigerian has revisited the Employee Compensation Act, (ECA) of 2010, with a view to enforcing its implementation. Following the renewed commitment to get the act working.
The government also said that it  would henceforth clamp down on public and private firms that failed to comply with the scheme.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, made this known in Port Harcourt on Tuesday during a one-day Interactive Forum on Safe Workplace Invention Project  for the year 2016, and problem-Solving Clinic on the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010.

Senator Ngige regretted that some government departments and agencies were yet to key into the programme and stated that the FG had issued a circular three months before asking all concerned to go into the programme.

He stated: “This act is an Act that protects both the employer and the employee to the extent that it takes care of the benefits of any worker who suffers injury, disease condition or death in the cause of his employment.

“If you are a factory worker and you inhale fumes from chemicals and you contract pneumonia, which is a disease, you will be treated by your employer and if incapacitation arises from the disease they will pay you compensation, if it results to death your family will be given a huge sum of money and the children left to that family will be trained to university level,” he declared.

The Minister continued: “It is an insurance which makes for the worker to have decent work in all ramifications. It also removes load from the employer because it is not only him that can access the insurance. It also reduces the quantum of spending on the employer.”

Senator Ngige wondered why some employers had not cooperated with the Federal Government in its noble intentions for them and the workers in their employ as the act was intended to protect both parties and make way for mutual and beneficial working relationship.

“The federal government has a goal but the MDAs, the extra ministerial departments and agencies have not keyed into the programme, but the federal government has brought a circular three months ago asking everybody to go into the programme because it makes for the workers protection,” he said.

The Senator who recalled that the penalties for flouting the provisions of the act ranged from monetary fines or 12 months to two years imprisonment added: “I am surprised that labour unions are not agitating for the full implementation of this Act. It is an act, an act is a law. It has some penalties inbuilt for any employer who does not conform. We intend to send a memo to FEC for all MDAs to key into this programme. For having penalties and consequence for flouting it the fund or the government operator of that law has the right to take you to court.  I have instructed them to do pre-action notices to employers of labour.”

The Minister also innspected the facilities of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, where he tasked the staff members to work hard and called for a legal unit to be created in the programme.

In his speech, the governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike who was represented by the Head of Service, Rivers State, Mr. Rufus Gowins informed the Minister that Rivers state had agreed to key into the Employee Compensation Act and the NSITF, regretting that before now, workers were not properly educated on the act.

The governor drummed his support for the Minister, saying that party barriers should not be allowed to deprive Nigerians from reaping the benefits of democracy.