Solidarity asks Public Protector to investigate poor service delivery from the office of the Compensation Commissioner

1 March 2015

Trade union Solidarity requested Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in a letter to probe the total collapse of service delivery from the office of the Compensation Commissioner. This comes after the Compensation Commissioner failed to react to a memorandum containing the joint objections and demands from Solidarity and more than ten other organisations.

At an emergency meeting held earlier this month, Solidarity and several institutions representing medical practitioners, drafted a memorandum requesting the commissioner, among other things, to take immediate and urgent steps to offer a proper compensation service to the public. However, the commissioner did not respond within the timeframe stipulated, shrugging off Solidarity's campaign in the media and accusing the union of being "dramatic".

According to Solidarity Head of Occupational Health and Safety, Paul Mardon, Solidarity also requested the Public Protector to investigate the possibility of placing the office of the Compensation Commissioner under external control and management. "Solidarity is of the opinion that the Compensation Fund's failure to deliver proper service with regard to the compensation for occupational injuries and diseases undermines, among others, workers' constitutional right to social security, as well as their other fundamental constitutional rights.

We are of the opinion that the Office of the Public Protector is the appropriate institution which is in the best position to investigate this issue," Mardon said. Solidarity also requested the Public Protector to make recommendations to address service delivery problems experienced from the Compensation Commissioner's office.

Mardon says it's a pity the Compensation Commissioner, who is supposed to provide an essential service to the public, doesn't realise the gravity of the situation. "The public relies on the Compensation Commissioner to deal with occupational health and safety claims. Although we alerted the commissioner to the fact that thousands of people are suffering badly as a result of the poor service from the Office of the Compensation Commissioner, the commissioner has chosen to turn his back on those people," Mardon said.

Statement issued by Paul Mardon, Head: Occupational Health and Safety, Solidarity, March 1 2015

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