African Asbestos Victims to be Compensated
Article Added January 18th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
Much like the Senate bill slated to be heard early next month in the USA, Africa is setting up a trust for workers who are ill from mining asbestos. The trust, established in 2003 for a court settlement, may soon be helping more workers than first expected.
The Asbestos Relief Trust hopes to help Mozambican asbestos miners this year. The first payouts could be accomplished by the middle of this year, or at least be firmly in place to start by the end of 2006. The South African governments of Swaziland and Lesotho are also expected to embrace the trust for miners there as well. The trust was a part of a 2003 court settlement against asbestos-producing companies Msauli, Gencor and Gefco. The plan was to set aside R460 million to compensate ex-workers who were ill from asbestos poisoning.
This victory was followed by 7000 asbestos victims being compensated by the British company Cape Plc. This company’s employees had set the precedent by forcing the company to pay out more than R97 million to ex-workers and families of those workers who had died. So far, the new trust had accumulated about R100.9 million, to be paid out to mine workers. Almost R60.3 million had already been paid out, while the remaining money would be paid after confirmation of banking accounts and other details. The Trust Deed sets out parameters that must be met in order to qualify for compensation. Even still, more than 1500 claimants will benefit from this first installment of compensation.
Article Added January 18th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
- David Greenstone, Founding Partner
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