UIF, Cosatu chase workers’ TERS grants

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the North West have partnered to ensure that workers receive their due payments from the Covid Ters monies.

The UIF revealed last month that there has been a major wave of arrests for over R2.2 million in Covid Ters fraud in North West and Gauteng provinces.

UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping said the partnership between Cosatu and the UIF would reduce claim processing delays and deal with noncompliance by employers.

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According to Maruping, the noncompliance by employers was still the biggest frustration for the UIF and the employees in the North West.

UIF spokesperson Trevor Hattingh said: ‘‘The Thusa Babereki platforms were launched to assist the UIF’s ‘follow the money’ project to determine if correct amounts of Covid Ters monies were paid to workers by their employers at each payment interval.

“Employers who did not pay over Covid Ters monies to workers are required to return the money to the UIF.

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“Matters where employers abused or misused the funds are referred to the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit, whereafter they are criminally prosecuted by the National Prosecuting Authority.”

The UIF urged employees to report wrongdoing or noncompliance to the UIF through the newly established Thusa Babereki platforms.