The Mauritian Government passed amendments to the Workers Act that will be to benefit to the labours/workers at large as there are social welfare benefits in case of insolvencies and portable retirement gratuity benefits. The provision of the gratuity would be deemed to be an additional benefit in existing pension funds. The portability would allow worker to carry their employment benefit details such as retirement benefit or pensions to the next employer. The new amendments make mandatory for the employers to pay the compensation for employee’s service years. The amendment also introduces the unemployment allowances for upto 12 months.
The new amendments have also created new tripartite council that serves as forum of negotiations between workers, lawyer and labour inspector. The law has also provided for a wage guarantee fund which would pay the workers when hey are laid off when a factory closes. The benefits shall be granted not just to the labours who are Mauritius nationals but also from Bangladesh and Nepal
The new amendments to the Workers Act 2019 are hailed as a major victory against casualization of labour and precarious work conditions. The labour and trade unions have appreciated the steps by the Mauritian Government in protecting the workers’ rights of retirement benefits, strict restrictions, improved paid leave, fair compensation in case of termination, equal pay for equal work and to stop gender discrimination.
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