Any treatment that compromises the dignity and safety of workers will not be tolerated, warns Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh.

He issued the warning to employers across the country after a construction company was fined $10,000 for housing its workers, including locals and foreigners, in a poorly ventilated shipping container in the Western division.

Singh says such inhumane treatment of workers will not be tolerated.

“These employers shame us as a nation. We have our workers in New Zealand and Australia, and we put pressure on the authorities there to ensure that our workers are treated humanely and that minimum standards are met. And here in our own backyard, we have employers who treat workers like this.

Singh adds that it is usually large companies that commit these violations.

“I have to say that sometimes employers’ organizations complain that harsh laws or dissuasive laws will affect SMEs. It is not SMEs who are in breach most of the time. Most of the time, the failures are committed by the biggest. And that’s why we need dissuasive fines or penalties to ensure that employers don’t commit these kinds of infractions, to ensure that our workers are treated the way they should be, to ensure that all standards of OHS and other minimum standards are respected.

Following the incident, an immediate stop work order was issued, accompanied by a compliance notice requiring the company to provide suitable accommodation for its workers.

Singh says the government is committed to holding companies accountable through deterrent fines and strict sanctions, stressing that these laws are essential to protect workers’ rights and ensure compliance with occupational health and safety standards .