Workers seeking compensation for injuries sustained in the course of official duties can now heave a sigh of relief as all compensation cases or claims, some of which date as far back as 2001, are expected to be settled come the end of May this year.
Following a directive from the Prime Minister in early February to clear the backlog of compensation cases, the Workers’ Compensation Taskforce in the Ministry of Labour has since settled 823 cases out of the total 2201 cases pending. All this within the span of five weeks.
And with the current target of approximately eight percent completion rate per week being strictly adhered to, Government anticipates that the remaining compensation cases will be settled by the end of May.
To-date Government has settled compensation cases in Suva (371), Sigatoka (39), Nadi (107), Lautoka (115), Ba (75), Savusavu (17), and Labasa (99).
Government has also made it a priority to complete the Workers Compensation Policy reform. This reform will involve replacing the outdated Workmen’s Compensation Act with one that provides superior protection for injured workers or dependants of deceased workers. This is seen as the way forward in regards to the delivery of social justice in Fiji.
Work on this reform is being done simultaneously with the effort to clear the backlog of compensation cases to ensure a smooth transition from the old law to the new.