Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour

  Linda Eroke
In furtherance of its effort to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the provisions of the Employees’ Compensation Act, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) will consider, on a case-by-case basis, employers’ request urging it to overlook contributions for the period of July 1to December 31 2011.

The ‘debt-relief’ would only apply to organisations with evidence of compliance from January 1, 2012 to date.
This was part of the communiqué issued at the end of the interactive enlightenment fora between management of the NSITF and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) in Lagos, Port- Harcourt and Abuja respectively.

Interactive sessions were held between NECA and NSITF to provide the platform for the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and other stakeholders to be enlightened and sensitised, on the implementation and administration of the Employees Compensation Act (ECA).

At the end of the sessions, it was resolved that NSITF would ensure, within reasonable time, that it sets up all governance structures stipulated in the Act to drive its implementation.

The session also agreed that NECA -NSITF collaboration would be a binding ‘Social Contract’ between both parties noting that any breach of the ‘Social Contract’ by NSITF would necessitate employers warehousing their contributions in a ‘Suspense Account’ pending when NSITF will live up to its obligation.

Conclusions that were reached in the communiqué issued at the end of the interactive session reads: “NSITF will ensure efficient and effective management of the scheme as a condition for employers’ continued compliance. NSITF will ensure, within reasonable time, that it sets up all governance structures stipulated in the Act to drive its implementation. NSITF will give realistic and definitive timeline for the treatment of injured employees (from the time of filing for claims to the actual payment).

NECA -NSITF collaboration would be a binding ‘Social Contract’ between both parties. Breach of this Social Contract by NSITF would necessitate employers warehousing their contributions in a Suspense Account, pending when NSITF will live up to its obligation.

“Employers’ continued compliance and cooperation, therefore, will depend  on NSITF’s proven effectiveness in settling claims and demonstration of good governance Employers will dutifully and regularly provide information that will assist the NSITF to discharge its responsibilities.

The intervention programme to promote safe workplace will be expanded to cover more employers and industrial groups in subsequent years. The role of consultants engaged by the NSITF for the scheme will be limited to dispatch of Demand Notices and sighting of evidence of payment / compliance and not to audit or assess adequacy of payments.”

Before the deployment of NSITF Inspectors, the NSITF will notify NECA in the spirit of NECA-NSITF collaboration, which in any case, will be in the interest of NSITF in facilitating easy access. NECA would hold NSITF to the definition of the payroll (basic, housing  and transport) as agreed at the 2011 Interactive Forum”.