https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|Business|System|Systems
Africa|Business|System|Systems
africa|business|system|systems

B4SA calls out UIF shortcomings in TERS payments

19th June 2020

By: Tasneem Bulbulia

Senior Contributing Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

Industry organisation Business for South Africa (B4SA) has expressed surprise at the narrative being expounded by the Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi and the leadership of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) attributing the delays and shortcomings in the disbursement of Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) benefits to employers.

The Minister and the UIF have stated in recent days that there are employers that have not distributed benefits to employees when these have been channelled through the employers, and that many employers have failed to apply correctly for the benefit on behalf of employees.

“We are perturbed at the suggestion that employers should carry the blame for employees not receiving their TERS benefits timeously, when the administrative system has proven so grossly unreliable,” says B4SA Labour Workstream convenor Rob Legh.

B4SA says it offered a range of technical assistance to the UIF at the outset of the TERS, some of which was eventually taken up. Most April payments were processed efficiently, though there are several hundred thousand still outstanding, the organisation notes.

Having alleged that certain employers had not distributed the April benefit to employees, the Department of Employment and Labour and the UIF decided to change the system to make payments directly to employees, the organisation says.

However, it notes that applications opened only on May 27 – around pay day for most monthly paid employees.

Moreover, it says the online application system is extremely user-unfriendly, and that the UIF call centre operators are not adequately equipped to resolve many of the, often technical, queries that come from employers.

The organisation says thousands of its members have approached their associations and B4SA directly for assistance.

“B4SA has attempted to raise these issues with the UIF. On occasion they have been helpful and at other times we have been frustrated at the delay in their response.

"Instead of the new system ensuring that all workers would receive the TERS payment timeously, almost all who have been paid so far had to wait until mid-June for their May payments due, apparently, to breakdowns in UIF systems. Many more payments are still awaited,” the organisation says.

It highlights that the problems with the UIF system were expressed in a webinar held earlier in this week for B4SA members, where a large number of participants aired their frustration in accessing the UIF system, uploading claims and securing payments for employees.

Over 500 B4SA members have also responded to a survey seeking their feedback on the UI system, the results of which will be forwarded to the UI Fund, says B4SA.

“The pressure that employers have felt from employees due to the late payment of their TERS benefit was exacerbated by the Minister and the UIF Commissioner blaming employers for the delays which were the consequences of the fund’s system breakdowns. We do not believe that this is fair,” says Legh.

B4SA says it remains committed to working cooperatively with the UIF Commissioner and his team to ensure that the June payments can be processed timeously.

It further welcomes the constructive dialogue that is now taking place with the UIF Commissioner and his team, and says the organisation remains hopeful that identified issues can be resolved soon, for the benefit of employees.

B4SA also asks that applications for June be opened immediately so that any further system delays can be resolved and that payments reach employees by the normal June pay date.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Condra Cranes
Condra Cranes

ISO-certified Condra manufactures overhead cranes, portal cranes, cantilever cranes and crane components: hoists, drives, end-carriages, brakes and...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Multotec
Multotec

Multotec, recognised industry leaders in metallurgy and process engineering help mining houses across the world process minerals more efficiently,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.078 0.136s - 138pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now