Any treatment that compromises the dignity and safety of workers will not be tolerated, warns Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh.

He issued the warning to employers nationwide after a construction company was fined $10,000 for housing its workers including locals and foreigners in an improperly ventilated shipping container in the Western division.

Singh says such inhumane treatment of workers will not be tolerated.

“These employers actually shame us as a nation. We have our workers in New Zealand, in Australia, and we impress upon the authorities there to ensure that our workers are treated in a humane way, that the minimum standards are observed. And here in our own backyard, we have employers who treat workers like this.”

Singh adds that its usually the larger companies mostly that commit these breaches.

“I must say that sometimes the employers’ organization complains that stern laws or deterrent laws will affect SMEs. It is not the SMEs that are actually in breach most of the time. Most of the time the breaches are committed by the bigger boys. And that is why we need to have some deterrent fines or deterrent penalties to ensure that employers do not enter into these kinds of breaches, to make sure that our workers are treated the way they should be treated, make sure that all the OHS and other minimum standards are observed.”

Following the incident, an immediate stop-work order was issued with a compliance notice that the company provide suitable accommodation for its workers.

Singh says that the government is committed to holding companies accountable through deterrent fines and strict penalties, emphasizing that these laws are essential to protect worker rights and ensure adherence to occupational health and safety standards.