COMPENSATION COMMISSIONER

My belief is that the title “ The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act” is a misnomer in essence very few receive compensation.  I am inundated with hundreds of requests for help to try and gain some compensation for those South Africans who were injured on duty.  Some of these claims have been outstanding for almost ten years.  I urge everyone who has been injured on duty to ensure that their employers are registered with the Commissioner and that they have submitted their annual wage returns, they are paying assessments and that they are reporting all accidents and occupational disease to the Commissioner.  It must also be noted that the employers must pay their employees for temporarily being disabled their compensation for the first three months of absence from work.  The employer should be reimbursed by the Fund (although this is rarely done).  It is pointed out that the failure to perform any of the above mentioned points is a criminal offence and employers can face fines for non compliance.

However, once the employer has done all the necessary we are still finding that employees are not receiving any compensation or relief from the Compensation Commissioner.  It is suggested and I strongly urge each and every employer and employee to pursue the Compensation Commissioner with vigour.  Their telephone number is 086 010 5350 and the fax number is 012 323 8627 or 012 323 6986.  The address is P O Box 955, Pretoria 0001.  They can also be contacted via the Department of Labour website which is : http://www.labour.gov.za

Michael Bagraim