Employers given 14 days to register with Workers Fund
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She has warned that employers who would fail to meet the deadline will have to pay Sh50 million in fine or serve a five-year-jail term.
Mbeya. The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament, Labour, Youth, Employment and the Disabled), Ms Jenista Mhagama, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to private sector employers to register with the Workers Compensation Fund (WCF).
She has warned that employers who would fail to meet the deadline will have to pay Sh50 million in fine or serve a five-year-jail term.
Ms Mhagama made the statement earlier in the week after she made a surprise visit to a private hospital of K’s and St Aggrey Institution in the city, where there were reports that employers were evading to register with the Fund.
“I’ve come here to see things for myself as the government offered training for all representatives of institutions touching employment issues, but I can see many institutions in Mbeya Region are defying the government’s directive.
“This is because out of 200 institutions, only 107 are registered with the Fund here in Mbeya. So, I think there is a reason to apply the law,” said the minister.
She explained that the government would not bear with those employers denying employees their rights.
For his part, Mbeya Fund’s regional director for Medical Services and Evaluations, Dr Msalanu Omari, said that the region had 229 employers and that only 107 were registered with the Fund. “The minister has come here because of slow registration of institutions to join the Fund. However, we have launched inspections and after two weeks steps will be taken against those employers who have defied the government order,” said Dr Omari.
The owner of K’s Hospital, Ms Victoria Kanama, assured the minister that they would use the time given to ensure they got registered with the Fund so as to protect workers’ interests at work places.
