Praneeta Prakash 
[Source: Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF)/ Facebook]
The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation has questioned the rationale behind the proposal to increase fines in relation to child labour during a consultation on the Employment Relations Bill and the Work Care Bill.
According to Ministry of Employment Director Labour Standard Services Atish Kumar, employers currently face a $100 fine for breaches such as non-payment of wages or failure to issue pay slips, with a 30-day grace period to address these issues before the fine is imposed.
The Employment Ministry proposes increasing this fine to $1,000.
During a consultation yesterday, RB Patel General Manager Operations Jignesh Chauhan raised concerns about the proposed fines and penalties, particularly in relation to child labour laws and workplace breaches.
“My question is, how did you get $1,000? Was there a process on it, or somebody just said $1,000?” he asked.
Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association Chief Executive Fantasha Lockington expressed concern about the challenges of enforcement, especially with limited Ministry resources.
“So how are you really going to deal with this? Just adding zeros on to make sure that these are fines or make sure that the penalty is harsh so that everybody is afraid, making employers afraid. If you still have the problem of enforcement, how does that help the ministry?” she asked.
Labour Standard Services Director Atish Kumar acknowledged the concerns raised during the session, assuring participants that the figures are still in the proposal stage.
Kumar said that these were initial proposals, and the consultation process would continue.
