Over R2bn still not paid to workers as UIF waits on 74,000 employers

Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi has announced 14,113 domestic workers have benefitted from the special Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) lockdown benefit to the tune of R55,572,870.

This brings the total amount the department has distributed since 16 April to R13.3 billion and has benefitted 2,401,973 workers.

Last week Nxesi announced that a private company, Interfile, had agreed to join forces with the department to help trace domestic workers through cellphone numbers and other forms of communication to ensure that they receive their necessary benefit, said the department in a statement.

As a result, 10,092 employers lodged claims on behalf of their domestic workers.

“Certainly, we are beginning to ensure that the spirit and letter of our intervention is reaching the most vulnerable of our society. While we are happy that the efforts are beginning to bear fruit, we are worried that this still represents a drop in the ocean in terms of domestic workers on our systems whose number is almost a million.

“We need more employers of domestic workers to apply on their behalf so that they benefit from the relief scheme that government availed to ensure that we mitigate the worst effects of the lockdown,” said Nxesi.

The UIF has also ensured that where possible, workers are being paid directly.

The department is currently going through its database to reach out to farmworkers

Nxesi further expressed concern as over R2 billion that could possibly benefit 535,587 workers remains unpaid as the UIF awaits further particulars from 74,401 employers.

“For us, this is a source of great worry because workers who could stand to benefit have not received this relief. A further 26,793 workers have not been paid as the supplied details have failed bank verification. I appeal to these 2,319 employers to ensure that the bank details are correct so that the department can swiftly hand over the funds totalling R123,917,519 to deserving beneficiaries. Naturally, we expect that these would be the same accounts that are used to process salaries and wages,” said Nxesi.

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

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