Montano to reveal mishap redress

He gave the assurance to the House of Representatives which he visited yesterday to reply to a UNC motion calling for the implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 2004.

"I will investigate the levels of compensation paid to workers killed this year, and with the permission of the families, if it is not adequate I intend to publish it." He said even in the absence of a disability benefits bill, Government was still able to tell companies that they have not done enough to compensate accident victims.

Montano recalled yesterday’s sad experience of visiting the family of the late Anthony Hamlett who was killed in Wednesday’s explosion on the MV Tradewind Sunrise.

He said he expected the employing company to treat fairly the families of the deceased, despite the fact that the minister did not have legislative authority.

"We would nevertheless take the challenge on our own shoulders to do precisely that, to demand that workers who are injured, maimed or killed — that their families be properly compensated."

Montano said he was now putting employers on notice that his ministry’s thrust would be to legislate to protect workers as regards their safety and accident compensation.

He added, however, that he would not be an impediment to the industrialisation of the country, and that a balance was required with the employee safety issues.

Montano assured, "We are looking at OSHA to find those sections which we can do something about. There is a need for minor amendments to the Act."

He said this was going to happen sooner rather than later.

He chided Nariva MP Harry Partap for having said that the lack of OSHA had let companies get away with paying minimal compensation to accident victims.

"OSHA doesn’t deal with compensation and he (Partap) knows that."

The issue of redress, he said, is spelt out in the Disability Benefits Act.