Follow Labour Laws, Labour Minister Tells Employers

Minister for Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations Parveen Bala says there has been an influx of complaints regarding wage issues.

He made the comment during the Community Outreach and Talanoa session at the Lautoka Sugar City capark yesterday.

Mr Bala said certain security companies had inquired whether it was possible for employees to work for 12 hours.

However, concerns were also raised that employees were being paid for eight-hour shifts despite covering a full 12-hour shift.

“We need to put a stop to this and it can only happen if you can go and report to the nearest Ministry of Employment office so that my officers can go and investigate and pay to the employees what they are supposed to,” he said.

He said the ministry had strongly urged those companies to comply with the labour laws.

Mr Bala said the ministry monitored and took to task companies found not following the law.

“I can tell you we have got few companies on our radar, some of them are already in court and we have settled a lot of cases through mediation but there are many,” he said.

“I want to say to the employers that these are your employees, whatever they are due employees need to pay so the atmosphere is good because at the end of the day it is the employees that make the company. Follow the labour laws.”

Seasonal work recruitment

Meanwhile, Mr Bala clarified in Ba yesterday that Government played a facilitative role in the overseas seasonal workers scheme recruitment process.

He was responding to a concern from the public regarding the eligibility of  people who wished to be recruited.

“It’s an employer-driven sort of thing, we don’t have any major say but we do organise interviews with NEC (National Employment Centre) and when the employers come we just assist them in terms of recruitment,” he said.

Edited by Selita Bolanavanua

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