Chong delivering her speech. - Photo: Borneo Bulletin/ANN
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Over 70 participants representing insurers, legal practitioners, business companies, government agencies including the Department of Labour, the Ministry of Development, Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA), Brunei Darussalam Central Bank, Brunei Economic Development Board and the Attorney General’s Chambers, attended a multi-stakeholder dialogue session titled ‘Strengthening the Workplace Injury Claims Framework’ on Thursday (Nov 20).
Co-hosted by Legislative Council (LegCo) member Chong Chin Yee and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Bandar Seri Begawan (CCC BSB), in collaboration with the Brunei Law Society (Law Society) and Brunei Insurance & Takaful Association (BITA), the dialogue provided a platform for presentations and open discussion on current practices and operational issues relating to workplace injury claims in Brunei.
Chong in her welcoming remarks said, “The needs to further strengthen Brunei Darussalam’s workplace injury claims framework first came to our attention during a dialogue with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in June. Since then, my team and I have met individually with many of you – across ministries, regulatory bodies, the legal and insurance communities, and the construction and business sectors – to better understand the challenges from multiple perspectives.”
She added, “The workplace injury claims landscape spans many interconnected areas – legal processes, medical assessments, insurance practices, safety compliance, employer capacity and broader economic considerations. Each organisation represented here contributes a perspective that is essential to understanding this ecosystem as a whole.”
Meanwhile, chairman of BITA Shahrildin Datuk Paduka Jaya said, “It’s a milestone today for us to gather and share our views and perspective on such an important topic. When it comes to BITA, one of our missions is to foster public confidence by protecting our consumers interest and assets as well as to help achieve Brunei Vision 2035’s third goal of A Dynamic and Sustainable Economy.
“One of the products that BITA members provide is workmen’s compensation. The protection is in accordance to the regulation that has been mandated. Subject to risk tolerance and appetite, individual BITA member may provide additional coverages such as common law at additional premium,” he said.
Shahrildin delivering her speech. - Photo: Borneo Bulletin/ANN
The chairman added, “Our principle and objective when it comes to protection for our customers is the settling of claims. The principle of settling claims by threefold namely settling claim has to be in accordance with the term and condition of the takaful and insurance coverage, compensation to be fair and transparent as well as sustainable and justly and finally third principle is to make claim settle on a timely and efficient manner.”
During the open-floor segment, participants also raised practical challenges such as late reporting of accidents, difficulties in obtaining medical records, complexity in interest awards, under-insurance, and confusion among employers – particularly micro, small and medium enterprises – regarding coverage requirements for local and foreign workers.
To address some of the concerns, BITA presented proposals for reforms such as providing an injured employee with a choice to claim under WCA or under common law (a framework which is already in place in Singapore) with a view of early claim settlement, to introduce a Personal Injury Proceedings Protocol to expedite settlements through structured timelines, and proposed updates to interest calculation practices for personal injury awards to reflect Brunei’s current economic context.
Stakeholders agreed on the shared goal of ensuring timely and fair compensation for injured workers while maintaining a viable and predictable environment for employers and insurers.
Closing remarks from the LegCo member and CCC emphasised the need for continued multi-agency coordination, enhanced legal and insurance literacy, and follow-up discussions to explore potential policy, legislative and administrative reforms.
The dialogue concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening Brunei’s workplace injury claims framework in a way that is sustainable, transparent and supportive of both worker welfare and business resilience. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
