Employment Ministry to investigate employment of school aged boys at roadside car wash in Suva

The Ministry of Employment has confirmed that they will be investigating the employment of school aged boys at a roadside carwash in Suva.

Fijivillage had raised an issue with the Ministry of Employment after noticing school aged boys working at carwash past Vugalei in Suva on Monday.

Director Labour Standard Services, Atish Kumar has confirmed that the Ministry’s inspectors are working on monitoring similar carwash stations that look to employ school aged boys adding that they are slowly going through a process to take these employers to task.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment successfully prosecuted one employer for the employment of a child and the employer was convicted and fined $8,000.

Ministry of Employment Permanent Secretary, Salaseini Daunabuna had earlier revealed that the youngest child found to be involved in child labour was 7 years old.

She says child labour takes away the rights of our children and punishes them with work which is supposed to be done by adults as a child’s rightful place is in school.

Daunabuna adds that all children that have been withdrawn from working have been placed back in school and parents and guardians need to ensure they do not harm their children’s future by putting them in employment instead of education.