By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Lutfo Dlamini,the Ndzingeni Member of Parliament(MP)successfuly moved a motion to amend the Worksmen Compensation Act to mitigate the difficulties faced by injured workers when claiming compensation from their employers.

The report from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that was adopted by the House of Assembly seeks to,among others,influence the establishment of the office of the Compesation Commissioner whose roles and responsibilities will focus on injured workers compensation.

“As per the report, we are seeking to change the law to ensure that issues of workers compensation are handled by the Compensation Commissioner,and we have clearly defined the roles and or duties of the Commissioner. Once these amendments become the law,all workers including soldiers will be able to claim compensation. Even you Speaker, I think when you present what we have done to your Constituency,the people will be happy”, said the Ndzingeni MP.

Reached for comments,Wander Mkhonza,the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland(ATUSWA) said the establishment of the office of the Compesation Commissioner would only be effective if the whole compensation system could be restructured.

“As workers,as much as we appreciate the efforts by the MPs,we strongly believe the establishment of the office of the Compensation Commissioner could only be effective if the compensation structure could be re-structured. As the situation stands,some employers are reluctant to report ‘injury on duty’ cases because they are avoiding to pay increased subscriptions to the Workmen’s Compensation.We also demand the establishment of the Unemployment Benefit Fund, so that people who lost their jobs and those who are unemployed can survive while looking for jobs,” said the ATUSWA Secretary General.