Covid-19: Minister Thulas Nxesi assesses Covid-19 operations at UIF office

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has conducted a walkabout at the Johannesburg office of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) on 20 April.

The UIF is handling a massive number of claims related to Covid-19. The minister’s visit to the centre comes as the country marks the 25th day of the nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

A statement released by the department said, “In an effort to provide income support to workers who have been temporarily or permanently sent home due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the UIF has launched the Covid-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (Ters).”

The scheme provides funds to distressed companies unable to pay the full salaries of workers who are permanently laid off or sent home, temporarily due to Covid-19 and the lockdown.

So far, about R30-billion has been set aside for this.

“The coronavirus pandemic has quickly evolved from a healthcare crisis to a financial one, closing non-essential businesses, leading to job losses, and sending economies to recession worldwide. Many South Africans are filing for unemployment insurance fund and compensation fund.”

The UIF Call Centre has been experiencing system failures due to the influx of calls, by laid-off workers and employers in distress. The call centre has now been expanded and new recruits have been brought on board to handle as many calls for claims as possible.

During his visit, Nxesi said, “We know that people are impatient and want to be paid but also remember that we are dealing with the public funds. When you deal with public funds there are issues of accountability and issues of record, we don’t just pay.

“I’ve been told this morning (20 April) by my team at UIF that about 23 000 requests have been sent back because they do not comply… We have to respect the bureaucratic processes at the time while trying to understand the urgency of the situation.”

He added that they are impressed with the work the centre is doing and with the information they receive they will decide by how much they need to increase its capacity.

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