The Senate has commenced moves to review the Labour Act to provide stiffer penalties not only for modern slavery, but also child labour and discrimination against women at work place.
The “Labour Act Amendment Bill 2020”,which was sponsored by Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi and sought to introduce stiffer penalties to punish employers who deny female employees maternity protection and discriminate against women during employment to fill positions in underground work or mines.
He said the bill seeks to amend the present fines for his offences in the Labour Act which are now obsolete and bring them in line with modern realities.”
He added: “the present fines for offenses in the Nigerian Labour Act are obsolete in context and content. The sanction, penalty and interest payable under the Act are ridiculously low and do not reflect current economic realities.
“These current provisions cannot provide the needed protection for workers in the labour market. There is therefore a need to review these penalties/fines upwards in order to achieve fair and harmonious employee relations.”
The bill scaled second reading on the floor during plenary session on Tuesday.
Specifically Section 21 of the bill proposed a fine of N500,000 and N1,000,000 from the present fine of N800 and N500 for first and second offences relating to “Breach of terms and conditions of employment”, as it relates to the wage hour, nature of employment, leave, contracts of employment, among others.
The amendment bill in Section 46 also proposed a new fine in the sum of N500,000 as against N500 for neglect or ill treatment of workers by employers; N500,000 and N1,000,000 for recruitment of employees without an employee’s permit or recruiters license in the new Section 47, as against the present Fine of N200 for first offence and N2000 for second or subsequent offences.
On the other hand, Section 53 in the amendment bill sought an increase in fine from N500 for first offence and N200 for second or subsequent offences to N300,000 and N200,000 for inducement of apprentice to leave service of employment.
In another upward review of penalties, Section 58 proposed the sum of N200,000 and N100,000 for Denial of maternity protection and employment of women in underground work or mines in contrast with the Present Fine of N200 for first offence and N100 for second or subsequent offences.
Besides,Section 64 was reviewed by proposing a stiffer fine of N200,000 as against the present N100 for employment of young persons in unreasonable circumstances .
The legislation was amended in Sections 67 and 68 by proposing a fine of N250,000 as against N1,500 for breach of regulations of the Minister as they relate to Labour health areas and registration of employers.
In addition, the amendment bill in Section 72 reviewed the fines for offenses committed by persons with intent to deceive in the employment of labour from N1000 for first offence and N500 for second or subsequent offences to N300,000 and N200,000, respectively.
The bill proposed stiffer penalties to Section 73 to address forced labour by reviewing upward the present fine of N1000 for first offence and N200 for second or subsequent offences to N300,000 and N200,000.
