JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Chamber of Mines (CoM) on Friday said it fully supported the proposed integration of the compensation systems currently governed separately by the Occupational Disease in Mines and Works Act (ODMWA) and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA).
This followed a two-day compensation summit this week, led by the departments of Health, Labour and Mineral Resources, that had aimed to unpack the two statutory systems for compensating occupational injuries and diseases, with the ultimate objective of developing a unified compensation system for mineworkers.
The Department of Health-led ODMWA currently covered compensation for mineworkers around work-related lung and heart diseases, including tuberculosis and silicosis, while COIDA, which fell under the auspices of the Department of Labour, governed all other workers in the nonmining sectors for compensation for lung and heart diseases and injuries, besides others.
The process was expected to be finalised by the end of the year.
“We fully support this initiative as we believe that this will enhance the lives of mining employees. The health and welfare of employees remain a key concern for the chamber and its members. It is for this reason that we will continue to be actively involved,” assured CoM senior executive for health and environment Nikisi Lesufi.
The outcomes of the summit, which was held in Sandton on May 19 and 20, were still pending publication.