BDLive reports that legislation providing for the merger of statutes that provide benefits for occupational diseases may be in force by the end of the 2016-17 financial year.  

A legislative framework is being developed to merge the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act (ODMWA) and the Compensation for Occupational Diseases and Injuries Act (COIDA) to meet mineworkers’ longstanding grievances about inferior benefits and access to benefits.  ODMWA falls under the Department of Health, while COIDA, better known as the Compensation Fund, falls under the Department of Labour.  ODMWA benefits for mineworkers have been seen as inferior.  Meantime, various government departments are working with mining houses to create a master database of former mineworkers who are owed billions of rand in unclaimed benefits.

• Read this report by Karl Gernetzky in full at BDLive

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