Companies urged to facilitate employees’ COVID-19 benefits
The fund emphasised that all businesses with employees, from spaza shops to hair salons, who are registered with the UIF, can apply for this relief.
THE Department of Employment and Labour says thousands of employees, who may qualify for COVID-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) benefits, may not receive their due.
This, according to the department, is because companies have either not applied on their behalf or have not corrected the information to enable the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to pay timeously.
The UIF is concerned that as of 24 April 2020, a total of 220 768 employees – who collectively may be entitled to as much as R927 694 773 in benefits – have their payments delayed, pending verification by the employers, as some of the beneficiaries either do not appear on the UIF’s system or the information given is insufficient.
“When we receive applications from employers, we verify the information to ensure that the employees they are claiming for appear on our system. When we identify inconsistencies, we send the enquiry to the employer for verification,” said UIF Commissioner Teboho Maruping.
Related article: UIF ramps up TERS payments
In total, over 77 000 employers have submitted applications. After verification, the UIF paid R2.2 billion for COVID-19 relief benefits and R838 699 117.41 for normal benefits from 16 April 2020 to date.
Companies that are facing distress and contribute to the UIF should apply through: uifecc.labour.gov.za/covid19/ for assistance. However, companies that were not registered with the UIF by 15 March 2020 may not apply, as they will not qualify.
The fund emphasised that all businesses with employees, from spaza shops to hair salons, who are registered with the UIF, can apply for this relief. Employers of domestic workers should also apply for the relief, as domestic workers are included in the UIF.
Unfortunately, commission earners and freelance employees are not contributors to the UIF and therefore, they do not qualify for this benefit.
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