EMPLOYMENT INJURY BENEFITS: AN ANTIDOTE TO SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY IN EMERGING ECONOMIES

The increasing global employee mortality rate has called for concern among organisations stakeholders, particularly the trade unions. This is because of high employee’s mortality rate caused by work-related accidents with resultant effect on death, injury and sometimes permanent occupational diseases. These developments have led to the creation of a compensation packages known as ‘Employment Injury Benefits’ for those employees’ that suffer fatal accident, but the administration and implementation of this schemes were erroneously carried out in some countries especially developing economies such as Nigeria. This paper examines administration and implementation of the Employment Injury Benefits (EIB) in Nigeria. It also seeks to find out objectives of the EIB viz-a-viz its main scope as a compensation mechanism for employees with injuries, diseases and even death. Descriptive research method is employed to review Employees’ Compensation Act of 2010 and its relationship with ILO Convention 121 of 1964. This approach helps to achieve employee protection, promote sustainable employee security, wellbeing and development. The paper concludes by discussing the procedure for laying claims and the challenges facing the EIB as well as suggesting solutions in order to achieve sustainable society in Nigeria context.