Director General of NECA, Segun Oshinowo,
By Linda Eroke
Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) is partnering with the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) with the objective of promoting a safe workplace for employees.
Director General of NECA, Dr. Segun Oshinowo, who disclosed this in an interview with THISDAY, said the philosophy behind the initiative is to encourage a safer workplace that would reduce the susceptibility of employees to work.
Both parties had earlier agreed to work out modalities that would ensure the successful take-off, implementation and administration of the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) signed into law last year by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Act, which replaced the former Workman Compensation Act, makes provisions for adequate and timely compensation of employees in both public and private sectors of the economic who suffer any form of accidents in their workplaces According to Oshinowo, the focus of the initiative is to promote a safer workplace for employees in the country.
“We will be partnering with the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) with the objective of promoting a safe workplace for employees. The philosophy behind that initiative is that rather than put money and efforts on compensating employees after they have suffered injuries or death, it would be much better if we invest resources in making workplaces safer and it would reduce the susceptibility of employees to work.
“Employees are not going to work to incur injuries but we want them to come to work healthy and when they retire, they do so healthy. So NECA and NSITF will be doing a lot of activities, the focus which is to make the workplace safer for employees,” Oshinowo said.
The Federal Government recently inaugurated the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, who spoke at the inauguration ceremony, said the scheme was launched at a time the wave of economic and financial crisis was sweeping across the globe.
“The stage is now set for the full implementation of the scheme nationwide, which is fully funded by employers. Government will only contribute not as a sovereign authority of state but as responsible employer of labour. Accordingly, all employers will be registered for proper coordination and administration,” the minister said.
Speaking further, he said President Goodluck Jonathan approved the reconstitution of the Board in view of the high premium the present administration places on the social security of workers in the country.
He explained that social security was based on the recognition that economic insecurity arises in considerable part from interruptions to income from work caused by unemployment, retirement in old age, death of the family breadwinners, disability or other economic factors.
According to him, the uniqueness of the scheme is that it is funded through employers’ contributions of one per cent of his/her pay roll for their employees.