From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Oluwaseun Faleye, has lamented the low level of compliance by state governments in the enrolment of their workers in the Employee Compensation Scheme (ECS).
According to a statement from the Fund, Faleye made the remarks on Tuesday during a visit to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, at the NLC headquarters in Abuja.
The NSITF boss said the non-compliance speaks to the vulnerability of the workers if some of the key protection mechanisms that are provided for them are not being utilized for one reason or the other.
He also debunked the idea of the Fund as a revenue-generating agency, noting that the purpose of the NSITF was workers’ welfare and safety through compensation and rehabilitation in case of work-related injury, disease or death, as well as the promotion of workplace safety and health.
Faleye explained that investments undertaken by the Fund were primarily for sustainability and not for profit. He sought a partnership between the NLC and the NSITF to leverage the union’s reach and influence in enhancing enrollment into the scheme. He reminded the labour leadership of its role as a critical stakeholder in the Fund, with representation on the Fund’s Management Board, and appealed to the common interest of the two organisations, which is centred on workers’ welfare.
The visit was in continuation of Faleye’s efforts at expanding enrollment into the ECS through stakeholder engagements, sensitisation, and inter-agency collaboration.
The Employee Compensation Act, which establishes the scheme, mandates employers of labour in both the public and private sectors to contribute one per cent of workers’ salaries to the Fund.
The NSITF is mandated to indemnify, compensate and rehabilitate workers affected by workplace injuries, diseases, or deaths.
In his response, Ajaero, promised to work with the NSITF to ensure compliance with the ECS.
Ajaero described the scheme as a lofty initiative aimed at improving the working class and expressed his excitement at having the NSITF fully in charge of social security in the country.
He also pledged organised labour’s support for the Fund’s awareness campaign geared toward enhancing compliance with the scheme across the country.
Leave a comment