About 10 amendments to the Employment Relations Promulgation will be ready in December 2010.
Government has allocated $700,000 for the implementation of the Employment Relation Promulgation and its amendments.
The initial allocation for ERP in 2009 was $1million.
The ERP amendments are researched, scrutinised and prepared by a sub-committee in the Ministry of Labour.
The Labour Ministry deputy secretary Mr Samuela Namosimalua is chairing the ERP sub committee reviewing the amendments with equal representation from the private sector that include workers union and employers association reps.
Mr Namosimalua said the ERP is being amended to make the law more relevant to the needs of the labour market.
“The ERP which came into being in 2007 has to be amended because of changes in the labour market and the introduction of new technologies” Mr Namosimalua said.
“The ERP is a dispute resolution mechanism for employers and workers. The ERP will get rid of delays in resolving employment related disputes, which has been the cause of strikes in the past and led to economic losses for the country”
Other amendments will have to be in line with the International Labour Organisation’s Decent Work Country Programme.
Mr Namosimalua said the aim of the programme was to make sure decent work to become the key component of development policies and national policy between Government and social partners.
ERP sub-committee member Mr Howard Politini said amendments ranges from labour dispute procedures to maternity leave.
The amendments to the ERP will be completed by the subcommittee and passed on the ministry board meeting on December 14 for vetting before it is given to Cabinet for endorsement.
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