Following a report on inhumane working conditions of local and migrant workers engaged in construction work at a resort in Rakiraki, main contractor Shiu Nandan, also known as Bhima, and subcontractor Pacific General Builders were sanctioned by the Ministry of Labor. Productivity and Workplace Relations.

The ministry named the companies involved after Rup Investments Limited said it was not the company under investigation for workers working in a poorly ventilated shipping container at Wananavu Beach Resort in Rakiraki, following a report in the Fiji Times.

This makes it clear that the company in question is not Rup Investments Limited.

The Ministry had previously said that the main contractor was Bhima Construction, but after Bhima Construction expressed concerns to fijivillage News that they had nothing to do with it, the Ministry confirmed that it was Shiu Nandan, also known as Bhima, and not Bhima Construction.

The ministry said Labor Standards and Occupational Health and Safety Compliance officials are conducting a joint investigation into the company’s inhumane treatment of workers.

Labor Minister Agni Deo Singh said problems such as inhumane living conditions, unpaid wages and lack of proper personal protective equipment were serious.

He said the workers were kept in a shipping container inside the resort without proper ventilation.

Singh says cooking in a container poses serious risks such as suffocation, burns, electric shock and explosion.

Answering questions from Fijivillage News, Singh confirmed that the workers were relocated to other locations.

He said Shiu Nandan was ordered to stop work, while Pacific General Builders was fined $10,000.

It also said the employer failed to pay current prevailing wage rates required by law and workers were not provided with appropriate personal protective equipment, compromising their safety.

The Ministry issued a notice of request to the construction company to obtain the necessary documentation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1996.

Similarly, as there was a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Health Act, an Improvement Notice and prohibition notice were issued to both the employer and the resort ordering them to cease work and relocate the workers to suitable accommodation with suitable living conditions, says Singh. and the Safety at Work (General Workplace Conditions) Regulations 2003.

He said a fixed penalty had been imposed on the employer for failure to pay the minimum wage rates required under Section 55(2) of the Employment Relations Act (ERA) 2007 and the enforcement team had ordered the workers to be removed from the existing accommodation. instructed the employer to find alternative and suitable housing.

Contractors have been given stop-work notices until workers are relocated and appropriate personal protective equipment is provided, the minister said.

He also said workers were advised to pay workers to stop work for a period of time because it was not their fault.

Singh stressed that the Ministry will not tolerate such inhumane treatment of both local and migrant workers and will ensure that employers who do not comply with the rules are taken to task.

He said that for breaches under labor laws, the construction company would be fined $10,000 for failing to comply with the ‘duty of care’ provisions set out in sections 9 (1) and (2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. To behave.

Singh said the fine must be paid by November 11.

The Minister said that in line with the Employment Relations Act review, an increase in penalty fines for non-compliance by employers was being considered as part of the review to act as a deterrent to future abuses.

Workers must be treated with respect, dignity and fairness, he adds; and all employers must uphold the highest standards of employment practices to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for everyone.

Singh also emphasized that the Fiji Police Force Anti-Human Trafficking Services Division has been alerted to investigate potential elements or indicators of forced labor or human trafficking.

Police confirmed that the CID Headquarters Human Trafficking Unit is investigating the matter.