FG okays implementation of employee compensation act to protect workers

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved the implementation of the Employee Compensation Act (ECA) 2010.

Chris Ngige, minister of labour, spoke to state house correspondents after an emergency FEC meeting on Monday.

The Employee Compensation Act (ECA) 2010 makes comprehensive provisions for the payment of compensation to employees who suffer from occupational diseases or sustain injuries arising from accidents at the workplace or in the course of employment.

“Today, the council has approved it for universal implementation, meaning that apart from the private sector, which is already implementing, the public sector, which comprises federal, state, and local governments, now has to adopt this for the protection of their workers,” Ngige said.

“The act provides that the worker, who is injured or had an accident or contracted a disease or disabled or dies in the course of work, should be compensated, remunerated and even the family, pay something when the man is no longer there.

“So, today is a good day for the Nigerian workers because the decent work agenda that is contained in Convention 102 of the ILO has a major branch on what they call workers’ protection in the course of work.’’

He said there is a directive that all workers in the ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal government be covered with a percentage contribution.

“It is an insurance premium; one percent of remuneration. You pay it and it insures your worker against these workplace accident injuries,” he added.

“That is what the council passed today and directed the minister of finance and the budget office of the federation to make provision for it in the annual budget as social contributions.”