All employers in the country and Government Ministries included will start to take on a certain percentage of attachees as part of the National Employment Center Decree.
Following talks which ended on Thursday this week, the Fiji Employers Federation has revealed that the Decree covers all industries and companies in the country adding that the compulsory attachment scheme is for those companies or employers that have more than 50 workers.
Federation General Secretary, Nesbitt Hazellman said that Government as the biggest employer in the country will also have to abide by the Decree.
Also under the Decree is a subsection which said that the company will have to cover 50 percent of a weekly allowance with Hazellman revealing that a set weekly allowance has been determined following these talks.
Under Section 44 of the National Employment Centre Decree 2009, which came into effect on the 1st of January 2010, it stated that an employer who employed more than 50 workers must engage suitably qualified unemployed persons as attachees or volunteers on a ratio of at least 5 percent of the total number of workers employed by the employer.
Director of NEC, Viliame Baledrokadroka said these people who come in for attachment will only act as attachees and once their 6 months is up then it is up to the company to take them in as full time workers, or to take them on as part-time workers, trainees or to be placed as a reserve in the company’s data base for any future employment.
So far 5, 300 people above the age of 15 years have signed up with NEC and training is expected to start next week.
Story by: Paradise Tabucala
Feature
Employers need to take on attachees
