The minimum working age for children will increase to 16 years if the draft Employment Relations (Amendment) Bill 2025 is passed in Parliament.
Speaking during the public consultation on the proposed Employment Relations Bill and the Work Care Bill at Suva Civic Centre recently, Ministry of Employment deputy secretary (operation) Atish Kumar clarified that children under the age of 16 would only be able to engage in light work.
“The minimum age currently is 15 years, but the proposal is the minimum age would increase to 16 years,” Mr Kumar said.
“It’s just a proposal.
“When we talk about the work in terms of children, children can be employed.
“Those who are 16 years and below, once this law is passed, it’s approved, then they can be engaged in light work after school.
“They can be engaged in family-oriented business, they can be engaged in the work that is light and of course not at risk.”
He said they would ensure that children’s education was given a priority.
“We also want to ensure that children must be in school. Those children who are 16 and below, if it’s a requirement for their curriculum to be part of the employment process, for example attachment, industrial attachment, if they are engaging in technical and vocational training, then of course that is allowed under the law.
“But in terms of engaging children full-time during school hours, this is where the child labour law comes in. So, we have to encourage children to be in school, we have to make sure that children go to school because they are the future of the nation. We have to try our best as adults, and of course as ministries and departments, it’s our duty to make sure that we take this awareness right to the grassroot level, so that people understand that we have to ensure that children are in school.”
He said a child could work full-time after 16 years, provided he was not engaged in any hazardous work.
“In terms of the age for light work, the proposed light work age currently is 13 to 15 years, they can be engaged in light work after school.”