SHANGRI La Yanuca Island Fiji Resort general manager Francis Lee has questioned the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs if the proposed Work Care Bill and Accident Compensation Bill would also protect employers.
In response, committee deputy chairperson and Opposition MP Premila Kumar said there was a need to create a balanced legislation.
“Very good question and a right question too because you need to create a balanced legislation,” Ms Kumar said.
“There is a provision in the bill which talks about self-harm.
“We have spoken to other employers, and they have expressed their concerns.
“And they are saying that negligence should be included, and I think in the initial discussions negligence was mentioned.”
Ms Kumar said the word negligence had been replaced with self-harm.
“So, if you put self-harm there, the interpretation there is a lot associated with the term itself, so we will be seeking clarity from the Ministry of Employment just to understand how well the employers are protected.
“Because I do understand employers meet the OHS requirements.
“If you are providing every tool to your worker to protect themselves and the worker is negligent and does not want to follow procedures and in the process, they hurt themselves, then why should the employer be held accountable.
“So, that is what we have been hearing from the employers as well.
“And I do recall during our public submissions, I did ask the union the same question, how well are the employers protected.
“We are talking about protecting the workers, it has to be a balanced legislation.”
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated June 6, 2025
