POLITICAL NEWS - In yesterday’s briefing by the national Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), it was revealed that only 60.9% of enquires submitted by the Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunity and Tourism have been resolved in the last month.
In July, the committee submitted 123 enquiries from the public regarding their experience with the UIF and, in particular, the COVID-19 TERS scheme.
This means that almost 40% of applicants are still left without support whilst employment opportunities remain constrained under lockdown restrictions.
MPP Deidre Baartman says: “It appears that UIF is building this plane in the air 18 months after lockdown regulations were first introduced. While it has been a massive feat to distribute more than R10 billion to the people of the Western Cape, too often, enquiries still fall through the cracks.
The UIF attributes delays in their response time to information technology restraints, lack of human resources and the complete absence of a centralised governmental database to ease the process.
In addition, a worrying estimated 30 000 employers in the Western Cape are non-compliant and have circumvented or are failing to register their employees with the UIF or not submitting declarations on time. It is unacceptable that some businesses are breaking the law and putting the livelihoods of their employees on the line for profit; and thus negatively impacting the reputation of many others who are ensuring their documentation is in order.
We urge every business in the Western Cape to register all of their employees with the UIF immediately so that they and their workers may apply for the respective Unemployment and/or COVID-19 TERS benefits.
To hold the UIF accountable to the people of the Western Cape, the committee has resolved that the UIF submits a monthly report outlining its progress in addressing the payment of Unemployment and COVID-19 TERS benefits; as well to resolve the outstanding 40% enquiries by 25 August 2021.
The committee further resolved to visit Labour Centres in the coming year to assess what the situation is like for the people of the Western Cape.
As the Western Cape economy continues to recovery, it is important that businesses are able to access relief benefits such as the COVID-19 TERS scheme. However, businesses need to play their part in protecting not only themselves but also their employees in these difficult economic times.”
As the DA in the Western Cape, we will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the UIF and national Department of Labour works for the people of this province.
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